potassium-argon dating

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Definition of potassium-argon dating in English English dictionary

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potassium-argon dating

A method of estimating the age of igneous rocks or of archaeological objects by measuring the amount of argon that has built up through the radioactive decay of potassium

potassium-argon dating

Method for determining the age of igneous rocks based on the amount of argon-40 in the rock. Radioactive potassium-40 decays to argon-40 with a half-life of about 1.3 billion years, making this method useful for dating rocks that are billions of years old. A more sophisticated method, called argon-argon dating, provides a more accurate estimate of the original potassium-40 content by means of the ratio of argon-40 to argon-39 in the rock, thus yielding a more accurate age determination. See also dating

potassium-argon dating

geological dating that relies on the proportions of radioactive potassium in a rock sample and its decay product, argon

Hyphenation

potassium-argon dat-ing