Dating the Earth - Charles Lyell and Mount Etna

The new Earthlearningidea today is 'Dating the Earth – before the discovery of radioactivity; Charles Lyell and Mount Etna, 1828'

This activity uses simplified calculations to demonstrate the immense age of the Earth, before the discovery of radioactivity.
After working through this activity, pupils can make simple calculations from given data and show how an estimate of the age of a relatively recent part of the geological record may be obtained. They can also put themselves in the position of Charles Lyell struggling to find the age of the Earth, from geological evidence alone, without any knowledge of radioactive dating methods.
Other activities related to the age of the Earth can be found in our Geological Time category.