Absolute Dating by

the Use of
Radioactive Isotopes
 What is Absolute Dating?
 Age of a fossil or rock is given in years
instead of relative terms like before and
after, early and late.

 Does not mean it isn’t without error

 Radiometric dating is the most

common type of absolute dating.
 Atoms and Isotopes: Let’s
review the basics
Chemical symbol  The number of protons in an atom
for element determines which element it is.
Mass #
(protons + A
neutrons)
Z X  If you change the # of protons, the
element changes & the mass
Atomic # (protons) changes.

 If you change the # of neutrons, the

element stays the same, but the
mass changes

 ISOTOPES - atoms of the

same element that have
http://www.saskschools.ca/curr_content/c
hem30/images/e_deuterium.jpg
different numbers of neutrons
 Why Are Some Isotopes Radioactive?
 Isotopes that have the right amount of neutrons are
called stable. They always stay the same.

 Some isotopes have a few too many neutrons or not

enough - This makes them unstable and radioactive.

 The nuclei of these radioactive atoms change or

decay by giving off radiation in the form of particles or
electromagnetic waves until the atom reaches a
stable state.
Radioactive Decay
 During radioactive decay, the number of protons in
the atom changes, and one element transforms into
another.
 Parent isotopes decay into daughter isotopes.
 Radioactive Decay is like popping popcorn.
 Each radioactive parent always
decays to a specific daughter.
 There is no way to predict
which atoms will decay first.
 Radioactive atoms decay at a
specific rate.
 Once they decay, they can
not change back.
How Long Does Radioactive Decay Take?

 Half-Life - the time it takes for half of the

radioactive or parent isotopes in a sample to
decay to daughter isotopes.

 Each parent has a 50% chance of decaying during

1 half-life.
 Measured in seconds, minutes, years, etc.
 Each isotope has its own unique half-life.
 From thousandths of a second to billions of years
 Starting the Stopwatch

 If you measure the ratio of parent to daughter isotopes, you can

determine how many half-lives have passed.
 Find the half-life of the parent isotope

 # of half-lives × length of half-life = age of sample

 Example: 3 half-lives; 1 half-life = 200 years
 Atoms Don’t Age the Way We Do

Start with 16 baby

1 aliens, wich have 70
year half-lives
2 3
4 half-lives = 280 years
4
Each atom has a 50%
chance of decaying
during a half-life.

http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/isotopes/ima
ges/age280_baby.jpg
How to Choose Which Isotope to Use
 Estimate the age of your
sample and choose an
isotope with an appropriate
range.
 First find out what minerals
are in your sample. The
minerals in your rock need to
have the element you want to
use for dating.
 Carbon-14 can only be used
to date samples that were
once living (organic)
K-40: feldspar & mica
 Ex: Wood, bone, cloth,
paper
Uranium: zircon