| absolute dating | Big Bang | correlation |
| cross-cutting relationships | erosion | evolution |
| extinction | extrusion | faulting |
| folding | fossil record | half-life |
| index fossil | inclusion | intrusion |
| isotope | meteoritic debris | original horizontality |
| outgassing | radioactive decay | red-shift (Doppler effect) |
| relative dating | rock record | stratigraphy |
| superposition | unconformity | uniformitarianism |
| volcanic ash layer |
