GL 107 Earth Systems Science

K. Hannula

Discussion questions for 8/31/07

1.  How are parent and daughter isotopes related to one another?

2.  Define "half-life."

3.  The half-life of isotope A is 100,000 years.  You analyze a rock sample and find that 1/4 of the parent remains, and that 3/4 has been transformed into the daughter isotope.  How old is the rock sample?

4.  What sorts of rocks could be dated using uranium-lead dating?  Potassium-argon dating?  Carbon-14 dating?