"The method compares the abundance of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope within the material to the abundance of its decay products, which form at a known constant rate of decay."
The process of determining the age of rocks and minerals based on the decay of radioactive isotopes, which can provide estimates of the age of the Earth and the timing of major events in geological history.
Radioactivity: The process of radioactive decay that enables the measurement of the age of materials.
Isotopes: Different forms of an element with varying numbers of neutrons in the nucleus.
Half-life: The time it takes for half of the unstable isotopes in a sample to decay.
Radiocarbon dating: The method used to determine the age of organic materials using the decay of carbon-14.
Potassium-argon dating: The method used to determine the age of igneous rocks and minerals using the decay of potassium-40.
Uranium-lead dating: The method used to determine the age of rocks and minerals using the decay of uranium-238 and lead-206.
Rubidium-strontium dating: The method used to determine the age of rocks and minerals using the decay of rubidium-87 and strontium-87.
Luminescence dating: The method used to determine the age of sediments and soils using the properties of trapped electrons.
Fission track dating: The method used to determine the age of minerals using the tracks left by fission fragments.
Dendrochronology: The method used to determine the age of trees using the patterns of growth rings.
Varve chronology: The method used to determine the age of sedimentary formations using the layers of sediment.
Geologic time scale: The chronology of Earth's history based on the relative and absolute ages of rocks and fossils.
Stratigraphy: The study of the layers of sedimentary rocks and their relationships to each other.
Paleontology: The study of fossils and their significance in determining the age and evolution of life on Earth.
Geochronology: The study of the age of rocks, minerals, and other geological materials and processes.
Carbon-14 Dating: This method involves measuring the amount of carbon-14 (a radioactive isotope of carbon) remaining in a sample to determine its age. This technique is useful for dating organic materials up to 50,000 years old.
Uranium-Lead Dating: This method measures the decay of uranium into lead isotopes to determine the age of rocks and minerals. This technique is particularly useful for dating rocks that are billions of years old.
Potassium-Argon Dating: This technique measures the decay of potassium-40 into argon-40 to determine the age of rocks and minerals. It is commonly used to date volcanic rocks that formed millions of years ago.
Rubidium-Strontium Dating: This technique measures the decay of rubidium-87 into strontium-87 to determine the age of rocks and minerals. It is useful for dating rocks that formed billions of years ago.
Samarium-Neodymium Dating: This method measures the decay of samarium-147 into neodymium-143 to determine the age of rocks and minerals. It is commonly used to date rocks that formed billions of years ago.
Lead-210 Dating: This technique measures the decay of lead-210 (a radioactive isotope of lead) to determine the age of sedimentary deposits.
Thermoluminescence Dating: This method involves measuring the light emitted by a sample when it is exposed to heat. This light is caused by the release of stored energy from radioactive decay. This technique is useful for dating materials up to several hundred thousand years old.
Electron Spin Resonance Dating: This technique involves measuring the amount of trapped electrons in a sample to determine its age. It is particularly useful for dating materials that have been exposed to radiation, such as teeth and bones.
Fission-Track Dating: This method involves measuring the damage tracks left by the spontaneous fission of uranium-238 in a sample. This technique is useful for dating rocks and minerals up to several million years old.
Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dating: This method involves measuring the amount of light emitted by a sample when it is exposed to light. It is particularly useful for dating sediments that were transported by wind or water, and for dating archaeological artifacts.
Palaeomagnetic Dating: This technique measures changes in the Earth's magnetic field to determine the age of rocks and minerals. It is useful for dating rocks that formed millions of years ago.
Amino Acid Dating: This method involves measuring the ratio of amino acids in a sample to determine its age. It is useful for dating materials that are thousands of years old, such as shells and bones.
"...rocks or carbon, in which trace radioactive impurities were selectively incorporated when they were formed."
"The use of radiometric dating was first published in 1907 by Bertram Boltwood..."
"...the principal source of information about the absolute age of rocks and other geological features, including the age of fossilized life forms or the age of Earth itself..."
"...radiometric dating methods are used in geochronology to establish the geologic time scale."
"Radiometric dating is also used to date archaeological materials, including ancient artifacts."
"Among the best-known techniques are radiocarbon dating, potassium–argon dating, and uranium–lead dating."
"The method compares the abundance of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope within the material to the abundance of its decay products..."
"...decay products, which form at a known constant rate of decay."
"...it provides a significant source of information about the ages of fossils and the deduced rates of evolutionary change."
"Different methods of radiometric dating vary in the timescale over which they are accurate and the materials to which they can be applied."
"...the absolute age of rocks and other geological features..."
"...the age of Earth itself..."
"...a significant source of information about the ages of fossils..."
"Different methods of radiometric dating vary in the timescale over which they are accurate..."
"...when they were formed."
"...can also be used to date a wide range of natural and man-made materials."
"...radiometric dating methods are used in geochronology to establish the geologic time scale."
"...the deduced rates of evolutionary change."
"Different methods of radiometric dating vary in the timescale over which they are accurate..."