First, the relative age of a fossil can be determined. Relative dating puts geologic events in chronological order without requiring that a specific numerical age be assigned to each event.

Erin DiMaggio, Penn State University Early on, before we had more precise means to date fossils, geologists and paleontologists relied on relative dating methods. They looked at the position of ...

Paleolithic hunters built mammoth traps in what is now Mexico some 14,700 years ago. An unknown sea creature left footprints in sand some 550 million years ago, making them the oldest known ...

How do we know when they lived? Estimating the age of hominid fossils is usually a painstaking, two-part process, involving both "absolute" and "relative" dating. "Absolute" dating means finding a ...

Kidding aside, dating a find is crucial for understanding its significance and relation to other fossils or artifacts. Methods fall into one of two categories: relative or absolute. Before more ...

Scientists have discovered fossilized remains of the oldest known elephant relative, dating back 60 million years. The fossils were found in Morocco. Called Eritherium azzouzorum, the animal would ...

First, the relative age of a fossil can be determined. Relative dating puts geologic events in chronological order without requiring that a specific numerical age be assigned to each event.

How do we know when they lived? Estimating the age of hominid fossils is usually a painstaking, two-part process, involving both "absolute" and "relative" dating. "Absolute" dating means finding a ...