Question

How are Fossils older than 60000 years dated?

Answer 1

Fossils:

1. Fossils are ancient species preserved remnants or signs of remains.
2. A fossil can either preserve a whole organism or only a portion of one.
3. Fossils can be made from bones, shells, feathers, leaves, etc.

Dating Of Extremely Old Fossils:

1. Radiocarbon dating is a technique for determining the age of carbon-based materials derived from living organisms.
2. By measuring the amount of carbon-14 in a sample and comparing it to an internationally accepted reference standard, age can be determined.
3. Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5,730 years, thus it's only useful for dating fossils younger than 60,000 years.
4. So, it is difficult to date the 60000 years old fossils using the absolute method.
5. But relative dating can be used still.
6. To assess if an object is younger or older than other things recovered at that location, relative dating methods are applied.
7. Relative dating determines whether one fossil is older than another without providing accurate dates.