Question

this image shows a diagonal stripe of granite passing upward through layers of rock. is this granite older or younger than the rock it passes through? how do you know?

Explanation:

This uses the principle of cross-cutting relationships, a key geologic law stating that any feature cutting through existing rock layers (like this granite dike) must be younger than the layers it intrudes. The granite formed after the layered rocks were already deposited, as it had to push through pre-existing rock.

Answer:

The granite is younger than the rock layers it passes through. This is known from the geologic principle of cross-cutting relationships: any rock feature that cuts through existing rock layers must have formed after those layers were deposited.