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the rock and the fossils are made out of lava stuff

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11y ago
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11y ago

radiometric dating.

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Q: Scientists use the amount of radioactive isotopes found in rocks and fossils to calculate their ages this process is called?
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How do scientists use the halflife of radioactive isotopes to date rocks and fossils?

The basic idea is to compare the abundance of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope within a material to the abundance of its decay products; it is known how fast the radioactive isotope decays.


What is the process called when scientists use radioactive isotopes to calculate a fossils age?

Radioactive elements tend to degrade or give off radiation at a constant rate. That is an essential part of radioactive carbon dating. Uranium, for instance has a has half life of 5,400 years. Each 5,400 years, half of the uranium becomes inert lead. It is considered an accurate form of dating.


What can scientists learn from the rate at which radioactive elements decay?

fossils


What property of radioactive isotopes allow them to be used to determine the age of rocks and fossils?

Their half life.


How isotopes can be used to benefit humans?

Doctors can use radioactive isotopes to treat certain types of cancer, such as prostate cancer. Geologists use isotopes to date some rocks and fossils.


True or False Fossils may be dated by either the relative dating method which determines the relative order of fossils or by the absolute dating method which uses radioactive isotopes?

True


What are three uses of isotopes?

Carbon-14 is used to determine the age of fossils. Radiation therapy for cancer comes from isotopes that emit gamma rays. Thyroid tissue that may be cancerous and has left the throat region can be located in the body with radioactive iodine.


Why is gamma used for a radioactive tracer?

Isotopes are used as tracers in many medical settings. Radioactive isotopes are used to identify abnormal bodily processes. The isotopes can also be used in plants to measure the amount of radioactivity in the leaves.


Measurements of half-life make radioactive isotopes useful for?

They're useful for x-rays or looking at metals,or determining the age of rocks/fossils. (Hope it helped!😁)


How are radioactive isotopes helpful for studying rocks and fossils?

Radioactive isotopes can be used to determine how old a rock or fossil is. One method is based on 14C (or Carbon 14) which has a half life of 5,730 years. Scientists know the ratio of 12C to 14C in plant materials based on absorption of CO2 is relatively constant1, but that the creation of 14C stops at death. With this knowledge, if you measure the ratio of 12C to 14C you can estimate how long ago the sample was alive. ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1Technically, the 14C levels have changed over the years due to various geologic, astronomic, and technologic issues, so scientists also compensate for that knowledge when they calibrate a particular sample.


How do scientists determine the actual age of Trilobites and all other fossils?

Scientists determine the actual age of trilobites and other fossils using a method called radiometric dating. This involves measuring the ratio of certain radioactive isotopes in the fossil and the surrounding rocks. By comparing this ratio to the known decay rate of the isotopes, scientists can calculate the age of the fossil. Other dating methods, such as relative dating based on the position of the fossil in the rock layers, can also be used to estimate the age of fossils.


Why is burning of fossils is a concern for scientists?

Because the burning of fossils is a pollution to the air & our environment & that's why its a concern for the scientists