Suppose a lava flow was found between two sedimentary rock layers. How could you use the lava flow to learn about the ages of the sedimentary rock layers?
a) By determining the relative age of the sedimentary rock layers based on the principle of cross-cutting relationships, where the lava flow is younger than the sedimentary rocks it intrudes and older than the overlying sedimentary rocks.
b) By calculating the absolute age of the sedimentary rock layers using radiometric dating techniques on the lava flow, which provides a minimum age for the sedimentary rocks below and a maximum age for the sedimentary rocks above.
c) By analyzing the composition and mineralogy of the lava flow and comparing it to known volcanic events in the region to establish a relative age sequence of the sedimentary rock layers.
d) By measuring the thickness of the lava flow and correlating it with known rates of lava flow accumulation to estimate the time it took for the sedimentary rock layers to form above and below it.