A paleontologist collected fossils in the Grand Canyon and recorded the following data. $\begin{array} { | l | l | } \hline \text { Fossil ID } & \text { Depth from canyon rim } \\\hline \text { PCO3 } & 1,800 \mathrm {~m} \\\hline \text { B8B } & 75 \mathrm {~m} \\\hline \text { 22RD } & 1,757 \mathrm {~m} \\\hline \text { IT-O } & 757 \mathrm {~m} \\\hline \text { GH7 } & 293 \mathrm {~m} \\\hline\end{array}$
The oldest fossil collected is ________ while the youngest fossil collected is ________.

Question

A paleontologist collected fossils in the Grand Canyon and recorded the following data.

\begin{array} { | l | l | } \hline \text { Fossil ID } & \text { Depth from canyon rim } \\\hline \text { PCO3 } & 1,800 \mathrm {~m} \\\hline \text { B8B } & 75 \mathrm {~m} \\\hline \text { 22RD } & 1,757 \mathrm {~m} \\\hline \text { IT-O } & 757 \mathrm {~m} \\\hline \text { GH7 } & 293 \mathrm {~m} \\\hline\end{array}

The oldest fossil collected is ________ while the youngest fossil collected is ________.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In geology, the deeper a layer or fossil is found, the older it is due to the principle of superposition. Thus, the fossil found at the greatest depth (PCO3 at 1,800 m) is the oldest, and the fossil found at the shallowest depth (B8B at 75 m) is the youngest.

A Paleontologist Collected Fossils in the Grand Canyon and Recorded