Resolving the Age Discrepancies of Meteorite Dating: A Scientific Analysis

  • Thread starter scatterbrain8
  • Start date
  • Tags
    Meteorite
In summary, the meteor formed 4.5 billion years ago. The gas retention age of 1.5 billion years and cosmic ray exposure age of 10 million years are not accurate measures of the meteor's age due to factors such as previous impacts and differentiation within the meteorite. The rubidium-strontium age provides a more accurate measure of the age of the rock particles that formed the meteorite.
  • #1
scatterbrain8
15
0
You find a meteorite and measure a rubidium-strontium age of 4.5 billion years. However, the gas retention age of the meteorite is 1.5 billion years, and the cosmic ray exposure age of the meteorite is 10 million years. When did the meteor form? How can you reconcile the three different age measurements?



Attempt at solution: So I'm not entirely sure about this because I don't really know anything about rubidium-strontium dating, but I think that the meteor formed 4.5 billion years ago. The gas retention age would only allow us to date back to the last time the meteor had been struck hard or had been heated up enough to allow gas to escape, so this wouldn't give us an accurate measure of the age of the meteor. The cosmic ray exposure would also doesn't give us an accurate measure of the age because cosmic rays only penetrate up to about a meter. In addition, differentiation in the meteorite would probably throw this age off as the elements on the meteor that were initially exposed to the sun may have moved to somewhere else inside the meteorite by now.

Is my guess right? Or would the rubidium strontium age only tell us the age of the rock particles that formed the meteorite?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #3
thanks, i think I've got it now.
 

1. How do scientists determine the age of a meteorite?

Scientists use a method called radiometric dating, which measures the decay of radioactive elements in the meteorite to calculate its age.

2. What elements are commonly used for meteorite dating?

The most commonly used elements for meteorite dating are uranium, thorium, and potassium. These elements have long half-lives and are present in most meteorites.

3. Can meteorites be dated using carbon-14?

No, carbon-14 dating is not applicable for meteorites because they do not contain organic material. Carbon-14 dating is used for dating organic materials up to 50,000 years old.

4. How accurate is meteorite dating?

The accuracy of meteorite dating depends on the quality of the sample and the method used. Typically, radiometric dating can provide an accuracy of within 1-2% of the actual age.

5. Can meteorite dating be used to determine the age of Earth?

No, meteorite dating cannot be used to determine the age of Earth. This is because meteorites are formed from the remnants of the solar system's formation and do not accurately represent the age of Earth, which is believed to be 4.54 billion years old.

Similar threads

  • General Discussion
Replies
4
Views
1K
  • Cosmology
Replies
14
Views
2K
  • Special and General Relativity
2
Replies
41
Views
4K
  • High Energy, Nuclear, Particle Physics
Replies
5
Views
2K
Replies
5
Views
835
Replies
4
Views
882
  • General Discussion
Replies
19
Views
2K
Replies
4
Views
1K
Replies
7
Views
3K
Back
Top