7.

6 Radiometric Dating

Palaeontologists are able to use radioisotopes to obtain precise estimates of the ages of rocks.

Radioisotopes are atoms that undergo radioactive decay. The nuclei of these atoms are unstable
and release subatomic particles changing from one form, the parent isotope, into another, the
daughter isotope.
The complicated technique of radiometric dating is based on the ratio of parent to daughter isotopes
in rock formations.
Radioisotopes undergo decay in a very precise way. The length of time that it takes for half of any
amount of a particular radioisotope to decay is a constant.

This value called the half-life, is the time it takes for exactly 50 % of a parent isotope to decay into a
daughter isotope. It then takes an additional half-life for the remaining amount to be reduced by half
again, and so on.

Radioisotopes Used in Radiometric Dating

Parent Isotope Daughter Isotope Half-Life years Range for Effective
Dating
Carbon 14C Nitrogen 14N 5730 100 – 100 000
Uranium 235U Lead 207Pb 713 million 10 mill - 4.6 bill
Potassium 40K Argon 40Ar 1.3 billion 100 000 – 4.6 billion
Calcium 40Ca

Radiometric Dating and the Paleontological Analysis of Fossils

1. A sample of a igneous rock contains small amounts of radioactive potassium and argon.
Using the ratio of 40Ar to 40K, it is determined that only 25% of the original parent isotope
remained. How old is this rock sample?

2. A fossil is found to contain the radioactive parent and daughter isotopes uranium 235U, and
lead 207Pb, in the ratio 12.5% to 87.5%. Assuming that no 207Pb was present when the fossil
first formed, estimate the age of this sample.

3. A skull of Homo Neanderthalensisis tested using carbon 14. Palaeontologists are wondering
about whether the Neanderthal was living at the same time as Homo sapiens, known to be
living in the same area 45 000 years ago. Measurements shown the original amount of
carbon-14 isotope present in the skull when Neanderthal died is only 1.56%.

a) How old is the Neanderthal fossil?