Question #d29b5
1 Answer
No evidence proves the age of the fossils and rocks on Earth, But there is evidence that can be used to indicate the possible ages of the fossils and rocks.
Explanation:
Radioactive dating can be used to indicate the age of some types of igneous rocks. Radioactive dating is by no means perfect or fool proof. It is based on an experimental determined half life of the parent element to the daughter element. Assuming that erosion has not carried away some of the parent element a good estimate of the age of the igneous rock can be determined.
Radio active dating can not be used directly on fossils except those with Carbon and less than 50,000 years old. Most fossils are thought to be much more than 50,000 years old and have been turned to stone and so no longer contain Carbon. These "petrified " fossils are almost exclusively found in sedimentary rocks not igneous so radioactive dating can not be used directly on "petrified" fossils.
Relative ages of fossils are used to date rocks. This form of dating is based on assumed relationships through descent according to Darwinian evolution. This provides a means of dating rocks but is not proof but it is evidence.
