Finding out the absolute age of rock

In Australia, scientist found a type

of fossil called Stromatolites.
These fossils are the remains of a
reef built by organisms similar to
present day bacteria.
They grew and built up colonies in
ancient shallow ocean.
Some paleontologists have
determined that the stromatolites
are more than 3 million years old.
But how did scientists
determine the age of
these fossils?
To understand the
methods of absolute
dating, you need to learn
more about the chemistry
of rocks.
What do you, the air, a
lemon and a puddle have
in common?
All of the above are kinds
of matter.
Everything around you is
made of matter.
 When all atoms in a
What is particular type of matter
an are the same, the matter
elemen is an element.
t? Examples: Carbon,
Oxygen, Iron, Lead and
Potassium
Most elements are stable,
they dont change under
normal conditions
 During Radioactive
Why is
Radioacti decay, the atoms of
ve one element
dating breakdown to form
used atoms of another
for element.
aging Radioactive elements
rock occur naturally in
igneous rocks.
Scientists use the
rate at which these
elements decay to
calculate the rocks
age.
What
For an igneous rock,
is the that birthday is
birthda when it first
y of a
rock?
hardens to
become a rock.
 As a radioactive element
What
within the igneous rock
happe
decays, it changes into
ns to
another element.
the The amount of
rock
radioactive decay goes
during down.
radioacti
ve But the amount of the
decay? new element goes up.
 The rate of decay of
What
is the each radioactive
rate element is constant it
radioacti never changes.
ve
This rate of decay is
decay?
the elements half
life of a radioactive
element.
Why
Geologists use
do radioactive dating
geologist
s use
to determine the
radioacti absolute ages of
ve
dating? rocks.
 Scientists often use
What is potassium -40.
Potassiu This form of potassium
m decays to stable argon
Argon 40.
dating? The half life is 1.3 billion
years.
Potassium 40 is useful in
dating the most ancient
rocks because of its long
half life.
 All plants and animals
What is contain Carbon, including
Carbon some carbon -14.
As a living thing grows and
- 14
develops carbon atoms are
Dating? added to their tissues.
When the organism dies, no
more carbon is added.
The carbon-14 in the
organisms body decays and
changes into stable nitrogen
14.
 Scientist measure the
How do
scientis amount of carbon-14
t use that is left in the
Carbon organisms remains.
- 14
From this amount,
Dating?
they can determine
the absoulute age.
Carbon 14 is very
useful in dating
materials from plants
and animals that lived
up to about 50,000
years ago.
It cant be used to date
really ancient fossils or
rocks.
Radioactive dating
cannot usually be used
for dating rocks other
than igneous rocks.
It is too difficult to date
sedimentary rocks
because they are made
up of many particles.
All the particles decay
at different rates.
How do
They date the
scientis igneous intrusions
t date and extrusions near
sedimenta
ryrock
the sedimentary
layers? rock layers
According to one theory,
Earth and the Moon are
about the same age.
Radioactive dating shows
that the oldest moon rocks
are about 4.6 billion years
old.
Scientist infer that Earth is
only a little older than the
moon rocks roughly 4.6
billion years old.