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8-Sci-Unit4.3-AbDati
8-Sci-Unit4.3 - Absolute Dating
Term | Definition |
---|---|
absolute dating | determining the actual age of an event or object in years |
isotope | an atom with a different number of neutrons in the nucleus |
radioactive isotope (radioisotope) | an isotope that is unstable and will undergo radioactive decay |
radioactive decay | the breakdown of radioactive isotopes into a stable isotope of the same element or another element |
half-life | the amount of time needed for half of a sample of radioactive isotopes to decay |
radiometric dating | finding the absolute age of a sample by determining the relative percentages of radioactive parent isotopes to stable daughter isotopes. |
radiocarbon dating | the use of radioactive carbon-14 isotopes to determine the age of once-living samples |
potassium-argon dating | the use of potassium isotopes in igneous, volcanic rock to determine the age of relatively young rock samples. |
uranium-lean dating | the use of uranium isotopes in igneous rock to determine the age of very very old rock samples. |
index fossils | fossils that are used to estimate the absolute age of the rock layers in which they are found. |