Monday 7 June 2021

Relative dating - dating the Earth before radioactive dating

'Dating the Earth – before the discovery of radioactivity; Charles Lyell and Mount Etna, 1828'.

 


The activity provides an opportunity to use simple mathematics in solving a long-standing geological problem. Students should be made aware that the figures are extremely approximate, and that the activity is designed to show the principle behind Lyell’s approach, rather than providing an accurate value.

Other activities related to finding out the age of the Earth can be found in the Geological Time category on our website.

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