Radioactive Isotope Dating Methods and Their Inaccuracies
by Owen Borville
January 18, 2019
Geology
Radiometric dating or radio-isotope dating is a technique that has been used to assign absolute ages to objects including rocks and fossils and was originally established in 1907 by Bertram Boltwood. This technique has been used by mainstream scientists to assign ages to rocks and fossils in the millions of years and up to a few billion years for certain rocks. The technique is also used by mainstream scientists to establish the geologic time scale of the history of the earth and assign ages to stratigraphic rock layers and accompanying fossils.
Mainstream scientists claim that this technique is scientifically accurate in assigning ages to rocks and fossils, but a growing number of scientists have questioned the accuracy of the technique. Therefore, radiometric dating is claimed by mainstream scientists to be a major proof of ages in the millions of years for fossils, rocks, and the age of the earth while creationists disagree. Creationists question whether radiometric dating is accurate before the Genesis Flood, as little is known of the conditions on earth at this time.
The Technique of Radiometric Dating attempts to determine the relative proportions of particular radioactive isotopes present in a sample to the proportion of decay products as one isotope decays into another isotope. An isotope is a different form of the same chemical element which has the same chemical properties but a different atomic mass. (The same number of protons but a different number of neutrons). Some isotopes are stable, but some are unstable in trace amounts and are labelled as radioactive. Radioactive decay occurs when an unstable atomic nucleus converts into another more stable atomic nucleus while energy is released. The original nucleus before radioactive decay occurs is called the parent nuclide and the resultant nuclide after decay occurs is called the daughter product.
Scientists attempt to measure the amount of daughter product in a particular sample compared to the amount of parent product leftover in order to determine an age of the object. This ratio is compared to the laboratory-tested half-life of a particular isotope to determine the age of the object. The half-life is the amount of time taken for one-half of the parent-product to decay into the daughter-product. If an isotope has a half-life of 5,000 years, then half of the amount of the isotope will decay into a different isotope every 5,000 years.
The most commonly-used method of radiometric dating is potassium-argon (K-Ar) dating, where an unstable potassium isotope decays into a more stable argon isotope. Another commonly-used method of radiometric dating is uranium-lead (U-Pb) dating, where an unstable uranium isotope decays into a more stable lead isotope. The mineral zircon is commonly used for uranium-lead dating.
Problems With Radiometric Dating:
An Assumed Constant Decay Rate: Mainstream scientists assume that the rate of radio-isotope decay is constant, however creation scientists heavily dispute the idea of constant rates of radioactive decay. Furthermore, creation scientists believe that decay rates of certain radioactive elements can rapidly increase based on environmental conditions and produce inaccurate ages that are grossly exaggerated from the actual age.
Contamination in the Sample: Another problem with radiometric dating is the possibility of contamination in a sample, which would give a false age. Chemicals in rainfall and water can contaminate a sample over time and lead to a false age, in addition to molten magma rising toward the surface of the earth, which can be contaminated with adjacent rock material of a different age.
Initial Conditions of the Sample: The Parent to Daughter Product Ratio: The initial conditions must be known during the formation of a new rock to determine its age, such as how much daughter product was originally inside the rock sample before decay occurred. Since this can be difficult to determine, the tested age may be inaccurate.
Many scientists erroneously assume there are no daughter products in the original sample rock material, and therefore the tested results give ages much higher or larger than the actual age. An example of radiometric dating inaccuracy occurred with volcanic rocks. Material from recent lava flows has been tested by radiometric dating techniques and reportedly has given grossly inaccurate ages, such as in the millions of years.
In 1992, a block of dacite was collected from a lava dome at Mount St. Helens, which erupted famously in 1980. The sample was sent to a laboratory for potassium-argon dating analysis, which produced dates ranging from 0.35 million years to 2.8 million years (1). Many other volcanic rocks from recent eruptions in the last 100 years have been tested using similar isotope dating methods and have produced ages in the millions of years, further showing the inaccuracy of these techniques.
(1) Austin, S.A., 1996. Excess Argon Within Mineral Concentrates from the New Dacite Lava Dome at Mount St. Helens Volcano. CEN Tech.J., 10(3):335-343.
by Owen Borville
January 18, 2019
Geology
Radiometric dating or radio-isotope dating is a technique that has been used to assign absolute ages to objects including rocks and fossils and was originally established in 1907 by Bertram Boltwood. This technique has been used by mainstream scientists to assign ages to rocks and fossils in the millions of years and up to a few billion years for certain rocks. The technique is also used by mainstream scientists to establish the geologic time scale of the history of the earth and assign ages to stratigraphic rock layers and accompanying fossils.
Mainstream scientists claim that this technique is scientifically accurate in assigning ages to rocks and fossils, but a growing number of scientists have questioned the accuracy of the technique. Therefore, radiometric dating is claimed by mainstream scientists to be a major proof of ages in the millions of years for fossils, rocks, and the age of the earth while creationists disagree. Creationists question whether radiometric dating is accurate before the Genesis Flood, as little is known of the conditions on earth at this time.
The Technique of Radiometric Dating attempts to determine the relative proportions of particular radioactive isotopes present in a sample to the proportion of decay products as one isotope decays into another isotope. An isotope is a different form of the same chemical element which has the same chemical properties but a different atomic mass. (The same number of protons but a different number of neutrons). Some isotopes are stable, but some are unstable in trace amounts and are labelled as radioactive. Radioactive decay occurs when an unstable atomic nucleus converts into another more stable atomic nucleus while energy is released. The original nucleus before radioactive decay occurs is called the parent nuclide and the resultant nuclide after decay occurs is called the daughter product.
Scientists attempt to measure the amount of daughter product in a particular sample compared to the amount of parent product leftover in order to determine an age of the object. This ratio is compared to the laboratory-tested half-life of a particular isotope to determine the age of the object. The half-life is the amount of time taken for one-half of the parent-product to decay into the daughter-product. If an isotope has a half-life of 5,000 years, then half of the amount of the isotope will decay into a different isotope every 5,000 years.
The most commonly-used method of radiometric dating is potassium-argon (K-Ar) dating, where an unstable potassium isotope decays into a more stable argon isotope. Another commonly-used method of radiometric dating is uranium-lead (U-Pb) dating, where an unstable uranium isotope decays into a more stable lead isotope. The mineral zircon is commonly used for uranium-lead dating.
Problems With Radiometric Dating:
An Assumed Constant Decay Rate: Mainstream scientists assume that the rate of radio-isotope decay is constant, however creation scientists heavily dispute the idea of constant rates of radioactive decay. Furthermore, creation scientists believe that decay rates of certain radioactive elements can rapidly increase based on environmental conditions and produce inaccurate ages that are grossly exaggerated from the actual age.
Contamination in the Sample: Another problem with radiometric dating is the possibility of contamination in a sample, which would give a false age. Chemicals in rainfall and water can contaminate a sample over time and lead to a false age, in addition to molten magma rising toward the surface of the earth, which can be contaminated with adjacent rock material of a different age.
Initial Conditions of the Sample: The Parent to Daughter Product Ratio: The initial conditions must be known during the formation of a new rock to determine its age, such as how much daughter product was originally inside the rock sample before decay occurred. Since this can be difficult to determine, the tested age may be inaccurate.
Many scientists erroneously assume there are no daughter products in the original sample rock material, and therefore the tested results give ages much higher or larger than the actual age. An example of radiometric dating inaccuracy occurred with volcanic rocks. Material from recent lava flows has been tested by radiometric dating techniques and reportedly has given grossly inaccurate ages, such as in the millions of years.
In 1992, a block of dacite was collected from a lava dome at Mount St. Helens, which erupted famously in 1980. The sample was sent to a laboratory for potassium-argon dating analysis, which produced dates ranging from 0.35 million years to 2.8 million years (1). Many other volcanic rocks from recent eruptions in the last 100 years have been tested using similar isotope dating methods and have produced ages in the millions of years, further showing the inaccuracy of these techniques.
(1) Austin, S.A., 1996. Excess Argon Within Mineral Concentrates from the New Dacite Lava Dome at Mount St. Helens Volcano. CEN Tech.J., 10(3):335-343.