Question:
How is the age of the Earth measured?
How is the age of the Earth measured?
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A radioactive element in rocks slowly changes into a stable element at a fixed rate.
Updated On: Jul 16, 2026
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Solution and Explanation
Step 1: The correct answer is uranium-lead dating, a radioactive dating method.
Step 2: Certain rocks and minerals contain radioactive uranium, which breaks down into lead at a fixed, known rate over time.
Step 3: By measuring how much uranium has changed into lead in a rock sample, scientists can calculate how long that process has been running.
Step 4: Applying this method to the oldest rocks and meteorites gives an estimated age of about 4.5 billion years for the Earth.
Step 2: Certain rocks and minerals contain radioactive uranium, which breaks down into lead at a fixed, known rate over time.
Step 3: By measuring how much uranium has changed into lead in a rock sample, scientists can calculate how long that process has been running.
Step 4: Applying this method to the oldest rocks and meteorites gives an estimated age of about 4.5 billion years for the Earth.
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