MEMORANDUM

TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
DATE:

KELLY ROBERTS
KORBON MCCALL
PROJECT 2
SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

This memo is in response to the assigned project. It will define and describe the Principle
of Superposition. What audience this pertains to will be acknowledged. Also purpose,
placement, and a choice of visuals will help to further define and describe the subject
Audience
The audience for defining and describing the Principle of Superposition includes all
beginning Geology students.
Purpose
Based upon previous experience, I have concluded that in order to understand some basic
principals in Geology, every student must know the Principle of Superposition. It is vital
to understand this concept because it will allow for further study to become clear.
Placement
This principle should be placed in all beginning Geology textbooks. By teaching students
this concept from the beginning it will help to instill a basis for furthering their education
in Geology.
Choice of Visuals
Pictures will be included to help illustrate what students will be taught and what they will
be looking for when applying the Principle of Superposition.

Technical Definition: Principle of Superposition

The Principle of Superposition states that in a sequence of sediment or rock that has not
been moved in any way, the oldest materials lie at the base and the layers above
progressively get younger. This principle was developed by a Geologist named Nicolas
Steno. The principle itself is important, but it is only one in a set of four. These four
principles lay the foundation of Geology. Of the four, this principle is the most basic and
easily understood. Steno reasoned that rock strata were formed when particles in a fluid,
such as water, fell to the bottom. This process would eventually leave the sediments
formed in horizontal layers.

Grand Canyon depicting Superposition.

However with most things in science there are exceptions to this rule. If a person is
looking at one area of rock where nothing has altered it in any way, this person would be
able to guess that the bottom layers were laid there before the top layers. Therefore, the
Principle of Superposition applies. If that person comes back after an earthquake and
notices that there has been a change in position, how will they understand? In this case
the earthquake caused one half of the rock to rise up on the other.
There are many other
instances where this rule
might not apply but
knowing this principle
allows the student to
determine what other
phenomena might be
occurring. There are
other times when
knowing this rule would
be critical. In the case of
identifying fossils,
Image depicting thrust fault.
knowing which rock
layer and the age of that layer helps to get an approximate age of the fossil. Knowing the
age of the rock helps to identify the specimen. This principle also helps when identifying
when a time of flood or drought occurred. If a person was looking at a section of rock

layers and noticed that at the top there where marine fossils they could conclude that
before those fossils there was no life present in that area.

Technical Description: Principle of Superposition

For sedimentary or volcanic rocks, the oldest layers are on the bottom and the
youngest layers are on the top. (super = top)
The law of superposition helps us understand the relative age relationships of
fossils found in sedimentary rock layers.
Newer rocks are deposited on top of older rocks.
Erosion can help expose older layers that were once buried.
Geologists reconstruct the order in which layers were deposited by their relative
position (which ones are on top of which). This is called "relative dating"
because the exact date and time of the event is unknown, only what happened
before or after it. Geologists also use relative dates when they reconstruct a
sequence of events to help solve mysteries.
While the Principle of Superposition is generally true, think about cases when it
might not be true. For example, plate tectonic forces can deform and contort rock
sequences so much that they sometimes get turned upside down. Or, sometimes
underground magma rises upward from the earth's interior and gets deposited
beneath other rock layers. Geologists call these "intrusive igneous rocks because
they intrude into the existing rocks. Granite is a common example.

Granite intrusion in Chile.

Visuals in order of appearance:

i.
ii.
iii.

http://www.angelfire.com/az3/mohgameil/physical.html
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/tags/normalfault/interesting/
http://planet-terre.ens-lyon.fr/image-de-la-semaine/Img314-2010-05-10.xml