01 Geological Time & Mountain building periods v2.0.ppt

An introduction to the concept of geological time and how mountains are built.

1. How were
the Alps
formed?

2. Geological Time (continued)

3. Review of mountain building and Alp formation
BY THE END OF THIS LESSON...
Some students will: create detailedmaps of Europe illustrating areas of relief,
shields, Loess and rivers
Most students will: explainthe importance of sediment basins in the history of
relief across Europe
Allstudents will: consider how we know what we know about the creation of the
Alps
Key words
Geologicaltime
Continental drift

4. Relative dating

5. Relative age dating
•Superposition
•Original horizontality
•Lateral continuity
•Cross-cutting relationships
•Inclusions
•Fossil succession

7. Absolute dating
•Thus, by using the appropriate radioactive isotope
(knowing its half-life time), and measuring the quantity of
the isotope present in the rock, one can deduce how long it
has taken to decay down to the present amount in the rock.
•Example: A rock has 0.5 (one-half) of the original carbon 14
material in it. One can deduce that knowing the half-life of
carbon 14 is 5730 years, the rock must have decayed (lost)
50% of its original carbon 14 material and is now 5730
years old. In a period of 5730 years from now, the rock will
contain .25 (25%) of its original carbon 14 material.
Theoretically, there will always be some trace of carbon 14
present in the rock…it will never decay totally.

8. LEARNINGOUTCOMES FOR THIS LESSON02/05/2024
BY THE END OF THIS LESSON...
Some students will: create detailedmaps of Europe illustrating areas of relief,
shields, Loess and rivers
Most students will: explainthe importance of sediment basins in the history of
relief across Europe
Allstudents will: consider how we know what we know about the creation of the
Alps
Key words
Geologicaltime
Continental drift

9. Sedimentary Basins

10. LEARNINGOUTCOMES FOR THIS LESSON02/05/2024
BY THE END OF THIS LESSON...
Some students will: create detailedmaps of Europe illustrating areas of relief,
shields, Loess and rivers
Most students will: explainthe importance of sediment basins in the history of
relief across Europe
Allstudents will: consider how we know what we know about the creation of the
Alps
Key words
Geologicaltime
Continental drift

11. Relief

12. Identify the
following
-Caledonian
-Baltic Sheild
-Variscian
Moutains
-North European
Plain

15. Shields
•areas of low relief (little variation in
elevations) in the Earth's crust that are made
up of crystalline rocks.

17. Caledonian
•Often red/grey in colour
•Deep Fjord valleys
•Roughly 490-390million years ago

19. North European Plain
•Low-lying land in Northern Europe
•Separates North and Baltic sea
•Used frequently in commerical farming

20. River Valleys
•Please mark on:
Tagus
Loire
Seine
Thames
Rhine
Elbe
Danube
Po
Oder
Vistula

22. Varscian Mountains
•Elevated areas and plateaus
•Often volcanically active until 10,000 years
ago
•The Massif Central

23. LEARNINGOUTCOMES FOR THIS LESSON02/05/2024
BY THE END OF THIS LESSON...
Some students will: create detailedmaps of Europe illustrating areas of relief,
shields, Loess and rivers
Most students will: explainthe importance of sediment basins in the history of
relief across Europe
Allstudents will: consider how we know what we know about the creation of the
Alps
Key words
Geologicaltime
Continental drift