Dating Methods

Question 1

Compare direct and indirect dating.

Answer 1

Direct dating: applying the dating techniques to the object

Indirect dating: the age of an object is obtained by dating something directly associated with it

Question 2

Compare relative dating and absolute (chronometric) dating

Answer 2

Relative dating: dating an artifact/site/fossil in sequence with other specimens; not exact
Absolute dating: provides an actual age; a year or range of years applied to a specimen

Question 3

Define radiometric dating methods.

Answer 3

measure the rate at which certain radioactive isotopes disintegrate

Question 4

Define half-life.

Answer 4

The time period in which one half the amount of a radioactive isotope is converted chemically

Question 5

What is potassium-argon and argon-argon dating.

Answer 5

Absolute dating based on radiometric decay used for incredibly ancient materials

Question 6

What is the half-life of radio-active postassium?

Answer 6

1.25 billion years

Question 7

What is radio carbon dating?

Answer 7

Dating based on the decay of radioactive isotope of carbon-14 used on organic materials up to 50 thousand years old

Question 8

What is the half-life of carbon-14?

Answer 8

5 730 years

Question 9

Describe Accelerator Mass Spectrometry

Answer 9

Refined radiocarbon dating that requires much smaller samples

Question 10

What is dendrochronology and what is it used for?

Answer 10

Tree ring dating– that determine the age of wood samples; count tree rings.
Has been used to assess the accuracy of radiocarbon dating.

Question 11

What are varves and it’s uses?

Answer 11

deposited layers of organic sediment that are compared to radiocarbon dates to assess accuracy.

Question 12

Define luminescence dating.

Answer 12

Absolute dating method that measures the amount of energy an object accumulated during existence; releases energy as light to determine age of the object by how much light is emitted.

Question 13

Compare thermoluminescence and optically stimulated luminescent dating.

Answer 13

Thermoluminescence is heat

Optically stimulated is laser light

Question 14

What is experimental archeology?

Give three examples.

Answer 14

Research that attempts to replicate ancient technology and construction procedures to test hypotheses about the past.
Ex) replica stone tools; ancient oven; butchering deceased elephant

Question 15

What is the purpose of stereoscopic vision in humans?

Answer 15

Allows us to see images in 3D with excellent depth perception