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Advanced · 3 min

Ask which event an age records

Radiometric dating uses radioactive decay and measured isotope relationships in suitable materials. The result depends on the mineral, isotope system, and whether the system has remained closed since the dated event. An age may record crystallization or later cooling or resetting. Dating a mineral grain is not automatically dating every event experienced by its surrounding rock.

Practice

What should be asked when interpreting a radiometric age?