Radioactivity and Decay
238U radiates alpha-particles and decays (by way of thorium-234 and protactinium-234) into uranium-234. 234U has a half-life of 245,500 years. The relation between 238U and 234U gives an indication of the age of sediments that are between 100,000 years and 1,200,000 years in age.
238U occasionally decays by spontaneous fission or double beta decay with probabilities of 5×10−5 and 2×10−10 per 100 alpha decays, respectively.
Read more about this topic: Uranium-238
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—Molière [Jean Baptiste Poquelin] (1622–1673)