Dating the earth

Dating Rocks and Fossils Using Geologic Methods

Evolution: Education and Outreach volume 3 , pages — Cite this article. Metrics details. Earth scientists have devised many complementary and consistent techniques to estimate the ages of geologic events. Annually deposited layers of sediments or ice document hundreds of thousands of years of continuous Earth history. Gradual rates of mountain building, erosion of mountains, and the motions of tectonic plates imply hundreds of millions of years of change.

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Earth Science, Geology, Physics. Take a look at a globe or a map of the world and you may be impressed by what you see. Towering mountains, deep oceans, vast continents, and sprawling glaciers—they make Earth what it is today. Scientists have calculated the age of our planet to be approximately 4. But how did scientists determine that age? The answer is complicated: It involves everything from observation to complicated mathematics to understanding the elements that make up our planet. In the s, as scientists sought to determine the age of the planet, they made a few missteps.

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Does Radiometric Dating Prove the Earth Is Old?

This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Despite seeming like a relatively stable place, the Earth's surface has changed dramatically over the past 4. Mountains have been built and eroded, continents and oceans have moved great distances, and the Earth has fluctuated from being extremely cold and almost completely covered with ice to being very warm and ice-free.

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