Dating Vs Radiometric Dating

The age of the earth has been debated for centuries. Many people believe in evolution that it took billions of years for everything and everyone to form. Others believe that God created the earth in seven days and that the earth is young. Secular scientist and Christian scientist both use different methods for determining how old the earth is. For example, Secular scientist look and use the layers of rocks to help them, while Christian scientist uses the Bible and look at historical data from other cultures to help them. Doesn't looking at archeological data seem more accurate than looking at rocks? If the earth is truly billions of years old, then why is there little sediment on the sea floor? Or how can secular scientist explain finding soft tissue in a fossil if the earth is old? The most logical explanation is that the earth is young. Many people believe something just because people say that it is true, sometimes it is good to investigate for yourself and see if it is good for you.

Radiometric dating is a technique that utilizes unstable isotopes of natural elements. Because these unstable isotopes eventually decay at a constant and singular rate despite any environmental changes such as temperature or moisture changes. The unit used as measurement is a half-life which is the amount of time it takes 50% of the original isotope to decay into the next isotope or daughter isotope. Basically the amount of half-lives is multiplied by the length of the half-life to estimate the age of the object being tested. Every element used has a different half-life and that makes each useful for measuring certain types of material. Some have longer a half-life and thus a longer effective dating range. Potassium-argon dating is useful for dating material that is extremely old. This method is used by geologists to replace relative ages based on rock formation with absolute ages. The dates found from the radiometric technique are accurate because the sources, the individual radioactive isotopes, are unchanging and unaffected by environmental factors. This means that the radiometric data will always be precise unlike relative dating which relies on the theory of uniformitarianism, the theory that geological history is made up of endless and uniform

Radiometric dating is still being used today. Modern uranium-lead radioactive dating of meteorites and earth materials gives us today's estimate that the earth is about 4.5 billion years

Encyclopaedia Britannica also states that it is “proved to be a versatile technique of dating fossils and archaeological specimens from 500 to 50,000 years old” (1998). This method of age determination is dependent upon the decay of nitrogen and radiocarbon (Carbon-14) (Encyclopaediea Britannica, 1998; Opinions of Radiocarbon Dating, 2011). Carbon-14 is continually formed in nature by the interaction of neutrons with nitrogen-14 in the Earth’s atmosphere (Encyclopaediea Britannica, 1998; Opinions of Radiocarbon Dating, 2011) and all living things exchange the gas carbon-14 with the atmosphere surrounding them. The amount of carbon-14 exchanged into the living organism is perfectly balanced with its surroundings, but when an organism dies, they stop taking in the gas and that equilibrium is damaged. Because Carbon-14 slowly decays at a known rate called its “half-life” in a dead organism, scientists can figure out how long ago it had stopped exchanging carbon with its atmosphere. Thus, its age can be determined by measuring the amount of Carbon-14 in a sample (Hirst, 2017; Opinions of Radiocarbon Dating, 2017; Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit Research Laboratory for Archaeology, n.d.; Earthsky, 2017; Cram, 1993). With the utilisation of Radiocarbon Dating, scientists have been able to discover that Lindow

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Scientist are able to use modern instruments to accurately date these rocks by measuring radioactive decay. These rocks are approximently 1.7 billion years old, less than half the age of the earth. These black rocks tell scientist not only how old they date back but

The second method, used by Donahue, Olin, and Harbottle in their testing of the Vinland Map is radiocarbon dating (Donahue, Olin, Harbottle, 2000). Radiocarbon dating is based on the decay of a specific carbon isotope known as 14C. All organisms contain 14C and once an organism dies, scientists are able to measure how much 14C has decayed in an organism. By measuring this rate of decay, scientists are able to date the age of an organism (Higham). Since the Vinland Map is drawn on

The dating ultrasound will likely be the first scan that an expectant mother will have, and this examination should be able to provide the parents with a guided estimation of the baby’s due date. It is unlikely for a child to be born on their exact due date, but the date provided should be within a few days of the birth. Dating scans can also provide other important information such as the presence of a heartbeat, the actual size of the foetus as well as any unusual features of the uterus that may cause problems in the future.

L. Vardiman, A.A. Snelling and E.F. Chaffin (Eds.), Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth: Results of a Young-Earth Creationist Research Initiative, Institute for Creation Research, Santee, California, and Creation Research Society, St. Joseph, Missouri, 2000.

The fossil record is evidence of evolution. Fossils are often fingerprints of evolution. They help scientists track how species evolved

Before the discovery of radiometric methods to determine the age of the Earth, the first few attempts were off by thousands of millions

Organic archaeological specimens, matter that was once living, such as bone, shells, skins, fibers, wool, etc., are all dated by use of radiocarbon dating (anything that once lived). The radiocarbon dating process measures the Carbon-14 isotopes within the organic material being examined. This method measures the radioactive emissions from the once living matter, comparing its activity with the equilibrium level of living things, a measurement of the time elapsed can be made. The radioactive isotope within the artifact will help determine the objects age.

: Fossils are the remains or traces of ancient organisms which have been preserved. For example, a fossil can exist as skeletal remains or even as a footprint. Such organisms are subjected to a slow rate of decaying since they have been rapidly buried under conditions that facilitate this. It is common for fossils to occur as hard-bodied organisms as these are more resistant to environmental influences. Fossils are usually found embedded in rock. The layers of rock are of different age and makeup. Hence fossils found in one layer would vary in characteristics from those found in another layer. They can be observed and analyzed through visual as well as radiometric means so that the age and morphology can be determined. These features indicate

This method is used to determine the exact age of fossils, artifacts and the earth. This involves, examining several strata of the crust of the earth to show the time intervals of one layer of rock to another layer as well as use the layering principle to confirm the series of cultures.

Libby developed the method of radiocarbon dating though his observation of how cosmic rays create radiocarbon. From outer space cosmic rays infiltrate earth’s atmosphere. In the upper atmosphere, these rays hit nitrogen and oxygen atoms in the air. (Renfrew, 1973). When the neutrons of these high–energy particles (mostly protons) hit nitrogen atoms, Carbon 14 (C-14) is created. The nitrogen atom (atomic number 7) has an atomic mass of 14 (with 7 protons and 7 neutrons). When the nucleus of the nitrogen is hit by the cosmic ray’s neutrons, the atomic number of the atom decreases by one. The make-up of its atomic mass changes, a proton is emitted and the neutrons are increased by one; therefore, the atomic mass number stays the same. Because the atomic number has changed, a new element, carbon 14, with atomic number 6, has an atomic mass of 14 (with 6 protons and 8 neutrons). (Bowman, 1990) The reaction is 14N + n = 14c + p (where n is a