Determining Geologic Ages Introduction Evidence of past life on Earth can be found in the fossil record Fossils are among the most important tools scientists use to interpret Earth's history. Not only can they help in dating rock layers, they also reveal the changing nature of life over the vast scale of Earth's history Fossils and relative and absolute dating have also told us what we know about geologic changes on Earth from the gradual rearrangements of the continents to cataclysms that caused mass extinctions In this investigation, you will try your hand at using fossils, relative dating, and radiometric dating to uncover some of Earth's history. Problem How can you interpret the fossil record to determine Earth's history? Pre-Lab Discussion Read the entire investigation. Then work with a partner to answer the following questions. 1. Inferring This activity incorporates information from Chapters 12 and 13. How are these two chapters related? 2. Inferring Why is it important to have more than one dating technique available? 3. Using Analogies Look at the Geologic Time Scale (Resource 10) in the Data Bank. How are eras, periods, and epochs like the divisions used in textbooks?