How do scientists use radiometric dating

Can radiometric dating be used to determine a persons age?

It is rare for a study involving radiometric dating to contain a single determination of age.

Is radiometric dating doomed to fail?

Second, it is an approach doomed to failure at the outset. Creationists seem to think that a few examples of incorrect radiometric ages invalidate all of the results of radiometric dating, but such a conclusion is illogical. Even things that work well do not work well all of the time and under all circumstances.

Can meteorites be dated by radiometric dating?

Some meteorites, because of their mineralogy, can be dated by more than one radiometric dating technique, which provides scientists with a powerful check of the validity of the results. The results from three meteorites are shown in Table 1.

Why is radiometric dating difficult for young Earth creationists?

Radiometric dating of rocks and minerals using naturally occurring, long-lived radioactive isotopes is troublesome for young-earth creationists because the techniques have provided overwhelming evidence of the antiquity of the earth and life.

What is the purpose of radiometric dating?

Radiometric Dating. Radiometric dating, or radioactive dating as it is sometimes called, is a method used to date rocks and other objects based on the known decay rate of radioactive isotopes. Different methods of radiometric dating can be used to estimate the age of a variety of natural and even man-made materials.

How is the age of a rock determined by radiometric dating?

The age that can be calculated by radiometric dating is thus the time at which the rock or mineral cooled to closure temperature. This temperature varies for every mineral and isotopic system, so a system can be closed for one mineral but open for another.

What type of mass spectrometer is used in radiometric dating?

Thermal ionization mass spectrometer used in radiometric dating. Radiometric dating calculates an age in years for geologic materials by measuring the presence of a short-life radioactive element, e.g., carbon-14, or a long-life radioactive element plus its decay product, e.g., potassium-14/argon-40.

What is meant by radioactive dating?

A technique used to date materials such as rocks or carbon. Radiometric dating, radioactive dating or radioisotope dating is a technique which is used to date materials such as rocks or carbon, in which trace radioactive impurities were selectively incorporated when they were formed.

Are the criticisms of young Earth creationists scientifically valid?

However, none of the criticisms of young earth creationists have any scientific merit. Radiometric dating remains a reliable scientific method. For articles on the RATE project, see the Rate Index.

Does radiometric dating have any scientific merit?

The topic of radiometric dating (and other dating methods) has received some of the most vicious attacks by young earth creation science theorists. However, none of the criticisms of young earth creationists have any scientific merit.

Do creationists ever find incorrect radiometric dating results?

Only rarely does a creationist actually find an incorrect radiometric result (Austin 1996; Rugg and Austin 1998) that has not already been revealed and discussed in the scientific literature. The creationist approach of focusing on examples where radiometric dating yields incorrect results is a curious one for two reasons.

How do radiometric ages agree with geologic mapping?

Third, the radiometric ages agree, within analytical error, with the relative positions of the dated ash beds as determined by the geologic mapping and the fossil assemblages; that is, the ages get older from top to bottom as they should.