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Radiometric dating (often called radioactive dating) is a technique used to date materials such as rocks or carbon, usually based on a comparison between the observed abundance of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope and its decay products, using known decay rates.[1] The use of radiometric dating was first published in 1907 by Bertram Boltwood[2] and is now the principal source of information about the absolute age of rocks and other geological features, including the age of the Earth itself, and can be used to date a wide range of natural and man-made materials.

Together with stratigraphic principles, radiometric dating methods are used in geochronology to establish the geological time scale.[3] Among the best-known techniques are radiocarbon dating, potassium-argon dating and uranium-lead dating.

By allowing the establishment of geological timescales, it provides a significant source of information about the ages of fossils and the deduced rates of evolutionary change. Radiometric dating is also used to date archaeological materials, including ancient artifacts.

Different methods of radiometric dating vary in the timescale over which they are accurate and the materials to which they can be applied.

Contents

1 Fundamentals of radiometric dating
1.1 Radioactive decay
1.2 Accuracy of radiometric dating
1.3 Closure temperature
1.4 The age equation
2 Modern dating methods
2.1 Uranium-lead dating method
2.2 Samarium-neodymium dating method
2.3 Potassium-argon dating method
2.4 Rubidium-strontium dating method
2.5 Uranium-thorium dating method
2.6 Radiocarbon dating method
2.7 Fission track dating method
2.8 Chlorine-36 dating method
2.9 Luminescence dating methods
2.10 Other methods
3 Dating with short-lived extinct radionuclides
3.1 The 129I – 129Xe chronometer
3.2 The 26Al – 26Mg chronometer
4 See also
5 References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiometric_dating

http://www.icr.org/article/8679

Heavy Metal Clocks, U-Pb and Th-Pb Dating Models: Radioactive Dating, Part 7

by Vernon R. Cupps, Ph.D. *

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. (Psalm 19:1-3)

The heavens do indeed declare the glory of God, but some people choose to believe that the heavens appeared by random chance out of nothing—a stance for which they are “without excuse.” Paul so forcefully points out in Romans 1:18-20 that who God is can be understood “by the things that are made.” These people tend to support their beliefs with various scientific models such as the radioactive dating methods we have been examining in this series. This article will address the uranium-lead (U-Pb) and thorium-lead (Th-Pb) models.

... see link for the rest of the article.