Isotopes with long half-lives give good ages for old rocks, but not enough daughter isotopes accumulate in young rocks for good age measurement.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Isotopes with long half-lives are ideal for dating old rocks because they decay slowly, allowing measurable amounts of daughter isotopes to accumulate over long periods. However, in young rocks, not enough time has passed for significant accumulation of daughter isotopes, making it difficult to obtain precise age measurements.

Isotopes with Long Half-Lives Give Good Ages for Old Rocks