When piecing together the geologic history of the Earth, geologists rely on several key relative age-dating principles that allow us to determine the relative ages of rocks and the timing of significant geologic events.

What does relative age dating tell us?

Relative dating puts geologic events in chronological order without requiring that a specific numerical age be assigned to each event. This method uses the orientation of the Earths magnetic field, which has changed through time, to determine ages for fossils and rocks.