What is Potassium-Argon dating?
Q: What is Potassium-Argon dating?
A: Potassium-Argon dating or K-Ar dating is a radiometric dating method used in geochronology to determine the absolute age of samples that are much older than a few thousand years.
Q: What is the basis of Potassium-Argon dating?
A: Potassium-Argon dating is based on the measurement of the product of the radioactive decay of an isotope of potassium (K) into argon (Ar).
Q: Where is Potassium commonly found?
A: Potassium is a common element found in many materials, such as micas, clay, tephra, and evaporites.
Q: At what point does 40Ar start to build up in a rock?
A: The decay product 40Ar is able to escape the liquid (molten) rock, but starts to build up when the rock solidifies (recrystallises).
Q: How is the time since recrystallization calculated in Potassium-Argon dating?
A: The time since recrystallization is calculated by measuring the ratio of the amount of 40Ar to the amount of 40K remaining.
Q: What makes quickly cooled lavas ideal for K-Ar dating?
A: Quickly cooled lavas make nearly ideal samples for K-Ar dating because they preserve a record of the direction and intensity of the local magnetic field at that time.
Q: What was the geomagnetic reversal time scale calibrated largely using?
A: The geomagnetic reversal time scale was calibrated largely using K-Ar dating.
