Have you ever wondered how we can earn about the age of rocks and what that information can enlighten us on? By using the temperature and other strategies, we can gain a clearer picture of just what happened when these rocks were formed.

Listen in to learn:

• The limitations of radiometric dating
• The sweet spot for dating a rock
• Why rain can interfere with the process

Peter Copeland, a Professor of Geology and Thermochronology at the University of Houston, shares his work dating minerals and examining the thermochronology of rocks.

Radiometric dating is one of the primary tools used to learn the history of the world we live on. By using isotopes of Potassium and Uranium, their half-lives can be examined to determine the date they were formed and what that reveals about the world at that time.

Since half-lives are not obstructed by various factors faced by ancient samples of a rock or mineral, this strategy is the best possible method of study. While this is not the only way and the other primary method only requires a microscope, it remains one of the most accurate and reliable.

https://www.uh.edu/nsm/earth-atmospheric/people/faculty/peter-copeland/

Episode also available on Apple Podcast: http://apple.co/30PvU9C