How are fossils older than 60,000 years dated?
A)directly dating the fossil with 14C
B)directly dating the fossil with uranium 238
C)dating rock formations below the fossil only
D)dating rock formations above the fossil only
E)dating rock formations above and below the fossil

Question

How are fossils older than 60,000 years dated?  
A)directly dating the fossil with 14C
B)directly dating the fossil with uranium 238
C)dating rock formations below the fossil only
D)dating rock formations above the fossil only
E)dating rock formations above and below the fossil

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Fossils older than 60,000 years are typically dated using the surrounding rock formations. The most accurate method is to date the rock formations both above and below the fossil to narrow down the time period in which it existed. This is done using methods such as potassium-argon dating, which uses the decay of potassium-40 into argon-40 to determine the age of the rock. Dating only the rock formations below or above the fossil would provide a less accurate estimate of its age. Directly dating the fossil itself with 14C or uranium-238 would not be effective for fossils older than 60,000 years, as the levels of these isotopes in the fossil would have decayed too much to provide accurate dating.

How Are Fossils Older Than 60,000 Years Dated