Front

What is Radiometric Dating?

Back

A method used to date materials by comparing the abundance of a radioactive isotope to its decay products.

Front

What is Carbon Dating?

Back

A specific type of radiometric dating that uses the decay of carbon-14 to estimate the age of organic materials.

Front

What are absolute dating methods?

Back

Techniques used to determine the exact age of an object or event, such as radiometric dating, carbon dating, and counting tree rings.

Front

What happens to coastal marshes during a subduction zone earthquake?

Back

They lose elevation, may get flooded by a tsunami, and all plants may die.

Front

What is a parent atom?

Back

The original radioactive atom that undergoes decay to form a daughter atom.

Front

What is a daughter atom?

Back

The product of the decay of a parent atom.

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What is a half-life?

Back

The time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay.

Front

If a radioactive substance has a half-life of 2 years, how much of the parent material is left after 1 decay?

Back

50%.

Front

How do you calculate the age of a radioactive substance?

Back

Multiply the number of half-lives that have passed by the length of the half-life.

Front

What is the significance of counting tree rings?

Back

It is a method of absolute dating that can provide information about the age of a tree and past climate conditions.