[Migraine]

The radiochronological data ...etc

I didn't think radioisotope decay rates worked much beyond about 60,000 years. How does one infer 7 million from this kind of data? Just curious.

[Doogle]

How does one infer 7 million from this kind of data?

Helen Thomas notes

[WildcatClan]

I didn't think radioisotope decay rates worked much beyond about 60,000 years. How does one infer 7 million from this kind of data? Just curious.

They just can, okay? It's scientific and stuff, just have a little faith. ;)

[aft_lizard]

They more than like used K-Ar aging of the dirt right on it to roughly determine the age. K-Ar dating has a greater age rage the C-14. There are also other means, such as Uranium-lead dating, which can be fairly accurate to 4.5 billion years.

[Coyoteman]

didn't think radioisotope decay rates worked much beyond about 60,000 years. How does one infer 7 million from this kind of data? Just curious.

There are a couple of dozen different radioisotopes that can be used in dating. The effective range of each depends on the half-life.

Radiocarbon has a half-life of 5,730 years, and thus has a maximum effective range of about 50,000 years. (They are working on counting methods to extend this, but it won't be extended too far.)

Other radioisotopes have far longer half-lives, and are suited for dating objects of far greater antiquity.

Here is a good link:

Radiometric Dating: A Christian Perspective by Dr. Roger C. Wiens.

[aft_lizard]

I just looked and I guess they used Be-10/Be-9 dating, which doesnt make sense ince it has a shorter life than the time period used. But I am no expert in this sort of dating.