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It depends. Carbon 14 cannot be used to date rocks, but only matter of organic origin. We simply compare the ratio of carbon 14 to carbon 12, and ignore the decay product (N14). As the half life of carbon 14 is 5730 years, we can (with the older equipment) fairly reliably date organic material back about 10 half lives, or pretty close to 60,000 years.

Uranium/uranium, uranium/thorium, and potassium/argon are three sets of long lived isotopes that are often found together, and work quite well for dating ash and rock of volcanic origin.

Refer to the links for a page describing the process.

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Radiometric dating is possible because the rates of decay of radioactive isotopes .?

Are constant


What knowledge is radiometric dating based upon?

radiometric dating is base on the half life of the radioactive atoms


Radiometric dating is done by comparing the ratio of over time?

Radiometric dating is done by comparing the ratio of parent isotopes to daughter isotopes in a sample. By measuring the decay of radioactive isotopes, scientists can determine the age of rocks and minerals. The principle behind radiometric dating is that as radioactive isotopes decay, they transform into stable daughter isotopes at a predictable rate, which can be used to calculate the age of the sample.


Can use radiometric dating on all minerals to tell their absolute age?

You can't date all minerals using the radiometric dating method because not all minerals have radioactive isotopes. In addition, the parent and daughter isotopes must remain together in a rock to use them to determine the rock's age. Because sedimentary rocks contain fragments of many rocks that could be different ages, radiometric dating is less useful for dating sedimentary rock. This technique is primarily used to date igneous rocks.


Scientists use the amount of radioactive isotopes found in rocks and fossils to calculate their ages this process is called?

Scientists use a method called radiometric dating to calculate the ages of rocks and fossils based on the amount of radioactive isotopes present in them. This process relies on measuring the decay of unstable isotopes into stable isotopes over time to determine the age of the material.

Related Questions

Radiometric dating is possible because the rates of decay of radioactive isotopes .?

Are constant


What knowledge is radiometric dating based upon?

radiometric dating is base on the half life of the radioactive atoms


Radiometric dating is done by comparing the ratio of over time?

Radiometric dating is done by comparing the ratio of parent isotopes to daughter isotopes in a sample. By measuring the decay of radioactive isotopes, scientists can determine the age of rocks and minerals. The principle behind radiometric dating is that as radioactive isotopes decay, they transform into stable daughter isotopes at a predictable rate, which can be used to calculate the age of the sample.


Can all radioactive isotopes be used in radiometric dating?

No, not all radioactive isotopes be used in radiometric dating. Some have very very short half lives and would entirely disappear before any useful period of time passed.


How do you use Radioactive dating in a sentence?

My nerdy brother wants to start a radioactive dating website! The use of radiometric, or radioactive, dating was initiated in 1907 by Bertram Boltwood.


What is the difference between radio active decay and radio metric dating?

Radioactive decay is the process where unstable isotopes break down into more stable isotopes by emitting radiation. Radiometric dating, on the other hand, is a method used to determine the age of rocks or fossils by measuring the amounts of certain radioactive isotopes and their decay products. Essentially, radioactive decay is the underlying process that radiometric dating relies on to determine the age of a sample.


Radiometric dating is possible because the rates of decay of radioactive isotopes?

Radiometric dating is possible because the rates of decay of radioactive isotopes are constant and predictable over time. By measuring the amount of remaining parent and daughter isotopes in a sample, scientists can determine the age of the sample.


How do you carryout radiometric dating?

By the use of isotopes of radioactive elements through the determination of their half life.


Is the dating method of determining the dates of old objects by using radioactive elements?

Radiometric


How is radiometric dating possible, and what role do the rates of decay of radioactive isotopes play in this process?

Radiometric dating is possible because radioactive isotopes decay at a predictable rate over time. By measuring the amount of parent and daughter isotopes in a sample, scientists can calculate the age of the material. The rates of decay of radioactive isotopes serve as a reliable clock for determining the age of rocks and fossils.


What sentence best describes the information provided by radiometric dating?

Radiometric dating measures the decay of radioactive isotopes in rocks to determine their age.


Why does radiometric dating work to determine the age of rocks and fossils?

Radiometric dating works to determine the age of rocks and fossils by measuring the decay of radioactive isotopes within them. This decay occurs at a constant rate, allowing scientists to calculate the age of the sample based on the amount of remaining radioactive isotopes.