The age of sandstone and conglomerate in an outcrop that exposes a succession of alternating sandstone and conglomerate beds based on the following observations: “The sandstone beds contain fragments of land plants, but the fragments are too small to permit identification of species. A layer of volcanic ash overlies the sandstone beds. Isotopic dating indicates that this ash is 300 Ma. A paleosol occurs at the base of the ash layer. A basalt dike, dated at 100 Ma, cuts both the ash and the sandstone-conglomerate sequence. Pebbles of granite in the conglomerate yield radiometric dates of 400 Ma.”
Also, describe whether it is possible to specify the maximum or minimum ages of sedimentary beds if the igneous rock were not present.
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