Question #f2afc
1 Answer
Actually index fossils can not accurately indicate the age of sedimentary rocks.
Explanation:
Index fossils are assumed to have only lived during a narrow specific period of geological time. If an index fossils is found it then the fossil is used to establish the age of the sedimentary strata.
One index fossil was the coelacanth or Latimeria. This fossil was thought to be an intermediate between fish and amphibians. The coelacanth was believed to have become extinct 80 million years ago. So if this index fossil was found the age of the strata could be established.
However a living coelacanth was found in East Africa in 1938. Hundreds specimens of this species have since been found alive.
The assumption that this index fossil only lived in a narrow time period has been proven false.
Index fossils can be used to date geological data, but the accuracy of the dating is based on assumptions that may or may not be true.
