Assumptions used in radiometric dating

How reliable is radiometric dating?

The reliability of radiometric dating is subject to three unprovable assumptions that every geologist must make when using the radioactive “clock”. Radioactive rocks offer a similar “clock.” Radioactive atoms, such as uranium (the parent isotopes), decay into stable atoms, such as lead (the daughter isotopes), at a measurable rate.

What are the assumptions of radioactive dating?

The assumptions on which the radioactive dating is based are not only unprovable but plagued with problems. As this article has illustrated, rocks may have inherited parent and daughter isotopes from their sources, or they may have been contaminated when they moved through other rocks to their current locations.

Can radiometric dating be used to date sedimentary rocks?

There is a discussion of a few examples of radiometric methods with sedimentary rocks in Mythology of Modern Dating Methods. Creationists believe that the assumptions of radiometric dating are invalid and cannot be proven.

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 most common radiometric dating method?

One common radiometric dating method is the Uranium-Lead method. This involves uranium isotopes with an atomic mass of 238. This is the most common form of uranium. It decays by a 14-step process into lead-206, which is stable. Each step involves the elimination of either an alpha or a beta particle.

What is a radiometric date?

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

What are the limitations of radiometric dating?

The shortcomings of the radiometric dating method is one of many indications that our earth is only a maximum of 10,000 years old and was created by God. Another problem that calls into question the credibility of radiometric dating is heat contamination.

What is uranium lead radiometric dating used for?

Uranium–lead radiometric dating involves using uranium-235 or uranium-238 to date a substances absolute age. This scheme has been refined to the point that the error margin in dates of rocks can be as low as less than two million years in two-and-a-half billion years.

Using relative and radiometric dating methods, geologists are able to answer the question: how old is this fossil? This page has been archived and is no longer updated Dating Rocks and Fossils Using Geologic Methods

What method is used to determine the age of rocks?

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.

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.

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.

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.