Front

What is the stable isotope formed by the breakdown of a radioactive isotope called?

Back

Daughter isotope

Front

What is the process called when a radioactive isotope breaks down into a stable isotope?

Back

Radioactive decay

Front

What is the method of finding the absolute age of a sample by determining the relative percentages of a radioactive parent isotope and a stable daughter isotope?

Back

Radiometric dating

Front

What are fossils called that are used to estimate the absolute age of the rock layers in which they are found?

Back

Index fossils

Front

Which dating method is often used to date igneous volcanic rocks?

Back

Potassium-argon dating

Front

What is the original radioactive isotope before it decays called?

Back

Parent isotope

Front

What term describes the time it takes for half of a radioactive substance to decay?

Back

Half-life

Front

What is the process of using carbon-14 to determine the age of organic materials?

Back

Carbon dating

Front

What type of dating uses the decay of uranium to lead to determine the age of rocks?

Back

Uranium-lead dating

Front

What is the term for the natural process by which unstable atomic nuclei lose energy by emitting radiation?

Back

Radioactivity