Conceptual Physical Science (6th Edition)
6th Edition
ISBN: 9780134060491
Author: Paul G. Hewitt, John A. Suchocki, Leslie A. Hewitt
Publisher: PEARSON
expand_more
expand_more
format_list_bulleted
Concept explainers
Videos
Textbook Question
Chapter 23, Problem 58E
Before the discovery of radioactivity, how did geologists estimate the age of rock layers?
Expert Solution & Answer
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solution
Students have asked these similar questions
You have made magnetic field measurements near some thick lava flows at 60° N, 90° W. The inclination of the lava’s magnetization is 26. The determined paleolatitude at which the lava cooled is 13.71°. Given the origin of the samples, where would you prefer to sample?
Uranium-lead (U-Pb) dating of geological samples is one of the oldest and most refined radiometric dating methods, able to determine ages of about 1 million years to over 4.5 billion years with precision in the 0.1–1% range. The U-Pb dating method relies on two separate decay chains, one of which is the actinium series from 235U to 207Pb, with a half-life of 704 million years.
Geologists unearth a sample of zircon that appears to be a closed system. They find 0.714 grams of 207Pb for 1.000 grams of 235U present. Approximately how old is the sample?
_______ yrs
XRD and XRF use X-rays to determine the type of mineral and the elemental composition of a mineral, respectively. They both also use the equation known as Bragg's Law. What is the difference between how you use Bragg's Law in the two techniques? (hint: which variables in the equation are known and which unknown in each case?)
Chapter 23 Solutions
Conceptual Physical Science (6th Edition)
Ch. 23 - Prob. 1RCQCh. 23 - What six principles are used in relative dating?...Ch. 23 - A granitic dike is found across a sandstone layer....Ch. 23 - Why dont all rock formations show a continuous...Ch. 23 - How are fossils used in determining geologic time?Ch. 23 - In a sequence of sedimentary rock layers, the...Ch. 23 - Prob. 7RCQCh. 23 - What is radioactive half-life?Ch. 23 - What are the half-lives of uranium-238,...Ch. 23 - Prob. 10RCQ
Ch. 23 - Prob. 11RCQCh. 23 - Which of the geologic time units spans the...Ch. 23 - Prob. 13RCQCh. 23 - What key developments in life occurred during...Ch. 23 - What evidence do we have of Precambrian life?Ch. 23 - The Paleozoic era experienced several fluctuations...Ch. 23 - Prob. 17RCQCh. 23 - Prob. 18RCQCh. 23 - What life forms are associated with the Devonian...Ch. 23 - Why are internal nostrils in the lobe-finned...Ch. 23 - Why do many geologists consider the lobe-finned...Ch. 23 - During what time period were most coal deposits...Ch. 23 - In what area of the United States do we find rich...Ch. 23 - What group evolved from the amphibians with the...Ch. 23 - Prob. 25RCQCh. 23 - What is the most likely cause of the Cretaceous...Ch. 23 - What effect did the breakup of Pangaea have on sea...Ch. 23 - How is the element iridium related to the time of...Ch. 23 - Which epochs make up the Tertiary period? The...Ch. 23 - What important life forms evolved during the...Ch. 23 - Refer to the accompanying figure. Using the...Ch. 23 - On a cross section, a dark wavy line is used to...Ch. 23 - If fine muds were laid down at a rate of 1 cm/1000...Ch. 23 - With the formation of Pangaea, disconnected...Ch. 23 - The decay of radioactive elements to stable...Ch. 23 - Going from oldest to youngest, rank these life...Ch. 23 - The geologic time scale is subdivided into eons,...Ch. 23 - Prob. 38TARCh. 23 - Throughout geologic time there have been several...Ch. 23 - Throughout geologic time there have been many...Ch. 23 - The Cenozoic is known for many tectonic events. In...Ch. 23 - Each period of the Paleozoic saw marked changes in...Ch. 23 - Prob. 43TARCh. 23 - If a sedimentary rock contains inclusions of...Ch. 23 - Granitic pebbles within a sedimentary rock have a...Ch. 23 - Two isolated rock outcrops share a few similar...Ch. 23 - Suppose that in an undeformed sequence of rocks,...Ch. 23 - In a sequence of sedimentary rock layers, the...Ch. 23 - What is the difference between a nonconformity and...Ch. 23 - Prob. 50ECh. 23 - What general assumption must be made to understand...Ch. 23 - Suppose you see a sequence of sedimentary rock...Ch. 23 - In dating a mineral, what is meant by resetting...Ch. 23 - A radiometric date is determined from mica that...Ch. 23 - If we divide a number by 2, and then divide the...Ch. 23 - Which isotopes are most appropriate for dating...Ch. 23 - Has the amount of uranium in Earth increased over...Ch. 23 - Before the discovery of radioactivity, how did...Ch. 23 - In the geologic time scale, which time division...Ch. 23 - What is the basis for the division of the geologic...Ch. 23 - What factors are believed to have contributed to...Ch. 23 - Prob. 62ECh. 23 - Prob. 63ECh. 23 - How did the Precambrian atmosphere become...Ch. 23 - Why is it difficult to find fossils in Precambrian...Ch. 23 - What are strematolites, and what is their...Ch. 23 - Prob. 67ECh. 23 - Prob. 68ECh. 23 - Prob. 69ECh. 23 - Prob. 70ECh. 23 - Prob. 71ECh. 23 - Coal beds form from the accumulation of plant...Ch. 23 - Prob. 73ECh. 23 - What can cause a rise in sea level? Is this likely...Ch. 23 - What are some potential worldwide consequences...Ch. 23 - What is the significance of an amniote egg?Ch. 23 - Prob. 77ECh. 23 - What effect did the breakup of Pangaea have on...Ch. 23 - Was there a time when dinosaurs and humans...Ch. 23 - Prob. 80ECh. 23 - Prob. 81ECh. 23 - How does basaltic lava in a rift zone separate two...Ch. 23 - Prob. 83ECh. 23 - What is the Anthropocene epoch?Ch. 23 - Prob. 85ECh. 23 - Prob. 86ECh. 23 - What event allowed the evolution of many mammals...Ch. 23 - Prob. 88ECh. 23 - Prob. 89ECh. 23 - Prob. 90ECh. 23 - Prob. 91ECh. 23 - Prob. 92ECh. 23 - How old are the oldest rocks on Earth? About how...Ch. 23 - During Earth's long history, life has emerged and...Ch. 23 - Prob. 95ECh. 23 - Prob. 96ECh. 23 - Prob. 97DQCh. 23 - How have modern humans affected geologic...Ch. 23 - Prob. 99DQCh. 23 - Prob. 100DQCh. 23 - The principle of superposition is that each new...Ch. 23 - Life forms throughout Earths past have emerged in...Ch. 23 - The time it takes for 50% of a radioactive...Ch. 23 - Development of Earths oceans was probably due to...Ch. 23 - Prob. 5RATCh. 23 - The Paleozoic experienced several fluctuations in...Ch. 23 - The most important event during the Cambrian...Ch. 23 - The formation of the supercontinent of Pangaea (a)...Ch. 23 - Prob. 9RATCh. 23 - The creation of the San Andreas Fault corresponded...
Additional Science Textbook Solutions
Find more solutions based on key concepts
Using the definitions in Eqs. 1.1 and 1.4, and appropriate diagrams, show that the dot product and cross produc...
Introduction to Electrodynamics
Problems 39 through 45 are motion problems similar to those you will learn to solve in Chapter 2. For now, simp...
College Physics: A Strategic Approach (4th Edition)
The Science of Astrobiology. The study of astrobiology is sometimes criticized as being the study of something ...
Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
24.29 For the capacitor net-work shown in Fig. E24.29, the potential difference across ab is 220 V. Find (a) th...
University Physics with Modern Physics (14th Edition)
A uniform rod of mass and length is held vertically by two strings of negligible mass, as shown below. (a) Imme...
University Physics Volume 1
14. A rifle is aimed horizontally at a target 50 m away. The bullet hits the target 2.0 cm below the aim point....
Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach with Modern Physics (4th Edition)
Knowledge Booster
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, physics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- What are the three conditions for using an isotope in a rock to date that rock?arrow_forwardA fossil is found that contains 6.25% as much Radium-226 as fossils being formed today. The half-life of Radium -226 is 1.60 x103 years. How old is the fossil? Hint: How many half-lives did the Radium-226 go through for 6.25% to remain? So, how many years have passed over 4 half lives?arrow_forwardWhy does carbon dating not give any useful data for dinosaurs?arrow_forward
- What is carbon-14 dating?arrow_forwardIf the half-life of a radioactive specimen is 100 years, then how long will it take for the specimen to reach 25% of its original amount? (24.3) (a) 25 years (b) 50 years (c) 100 years (d) 200 yearsarrow_forwardWhat biologic event is used by geologists to separate the Tertiary period from the Quaternary period?arrow_forward
- Are dinosaur footprints fossils?arrow_forwardKEY TERMS 1. geologic time (Intro) 2. fossil (24.1) 3. paleontology 4. amber 5. replacement fossil 6. mold 7. cast 8. trace fossil 9. relative geologic time (24.2) 10. principle of original horizontality 11. principle of superposition 12. principle of cross-cutting relationships 13. unconformities 14. correlation 15. index fossils 16. eons 17. eras 18. periods 19. absolute (numerical) geologic time (24.3) 20. radiometric dating 21. carbon-14 dating 22. geologic time scale (24.5) 23. Cambrian explosion 24. Great Dying 25. epochs 26. K-T event For each of the following items, fill in the number of the appropriate Key Term from the preceding list. b. _____ The most devastating extinction that has ever occurredarrow_forwardKEY TERMS 1. geologic time (Intro) 2. fossil (24.1) 3. paleontology 4. amber 5. replacement fossil 6. mold 7. cast 8. trace fossil 9. relative geologic time (24.2) 10. principle of original horizontality 11. principle of superposition 12. principle of cross-cutting relationships 13. unconformities 14. correlation 15. index fossils 16. eons 17. eras 18. periods 19. absolute (numerical) geologic time (24.3) 20. radiometric dating 21. carbon-14 dating 22. geologic time scale (24.5) 23. Cambrian explosion 24. Great Dying 25. epochs 26. K-T event For each of the following items, fill in the number of the appropriate Key Term from the preceding list. a. _____ Widespread, easily identified fossils that are typical of a particular time segment of the Earths historyarrow_forward
- The Hawaiian-Emperor chain of undersea volcanoes is about 7500 km long, and the Pacific plate is moving 9.2 cm a year. How old is the oldest detectable volcano in the chain? What has happened to older volcanoes in the chain?arrow_forwardEach time you dumped the pennies, one half-life passed; it has been shown that thehalf-life for this radioactive isotope is 20 years. In the year 2000, an archaeology teamunearths pottery and is using this isotope for radiometric dating to place the age of thepottery. It is shown that 95% of the nuclei have decayed. Using your graph,approximately how long ago was the pottery made?arrow_forwardIs the presence of O shale usually indicated by a high gamma ray reading?arrow_forward
arrow_back_ios
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
arrow_forward_ios
Recommended textbooks for you
An Introduction to Physical SciencePhysicsISBN:9781305079137Author:James Shipman, Jerry D. Wilson, Charles A. Higgins, Omar TorresPublisher:Cengage Learning
Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)PhysicsISBN:9781337399920Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana BackmanPublisher:Cengage Learning
An Introduction to Physical Science
Physics
ISBN:9781305079137
Author:James Shipman, Jerry D. Wilson, Charles A. Higgins, Omar Torres
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Foundations of Astronomy (MindTap Course List)
Physics
ISBN:9781337399920
Author:Michael A. Seeds, Dana Backman
Publisher:Cengage Learning
General Relativity: The Curvature of Spacetime; Author: Professor Dave Explains;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7V3koyL7Mc;License: Standard YouTube License, CC-BY