What does the presence of Mesozoic age rocks indicate about the age of the fault?

The presence of Mesozoic age rocks indicates that the fault itself is at least of Mesozoic age because faulting occurs within the rock layers, and any significant geological feature such as a fault must be either the same age as the rocks it displaces or younger. This means that if you observe Mesozoic rocks, the fault must form after those rocks were deposited but could be contemporaneous with them, thus confirming that it is at least Mesozoic in age.

When considering other options, the suggestion that the fault is younger than Quaternary age does not align with the notion that a fault can occur at any time after the rocks were formed, not just in the more recent Quaternary period. The assertion that the fault is older than the Mesozoic era contradicts the geological principles that place a fault's formation within the timeframe of the units it disrupts. Lastly, claiming that the fault can be dated as Cenozoic implies a time frame that is not supported by the presence of Mesozoic rocks, as this would suggest that the fault was formed after the Mesozoic era. Therefore, the most accurate interpretation is that the fault is at least Mesozoic age based