Compare And Contrast The Two Standard Methods Of Measuring Age Using Radioactivity

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The two standard methods of measuring age using radioactivity are potassium-argon (P-Ar) dating and radiocarbon dating. Potassium-argon dating is employed by geologist to gauge the age of geological formations by dating the individual rocks in the strata. If a rock sample has potassium, then it is possible to date when the rock was originally formed. This can be accomplished because all potassium on the Earth contains 0.01% of the 40K radioactive isotope of potassium. 40K has a unique trait in that when it undergoes radioactive decay it transforms into argon gas and therefore if the gas cannot escape from the pockets in the rock then you can measure the amount in the rock to determine its age. They measure how much potassium is present; then

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