Radiometric Techniques
Radiometric dating is based on the known and constant rate of decay of radioactive isotopes into their radiogenic daughter isotopes. Particular isotopes are suitable for different applications as a function of the type of atoms present in the rock or mineral and its approximate age. For example, techniques with short half lives cannot be used to date materials that have ages on the order of billions of years, as the detectable amounts of the radioactive and isotopes will be too small to measure within the uncertainty of current instruments.
Read more about this topic: Absolute Dating
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