Which two useful properties were used by John Joly and Ernest Rutherford to estimate the age of the earth?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question asks which two properties were used by John Joly and Ernest Rutherford to estimate the age of the Earth. Here are the options analyzed one by one.

Option 1: 'Zircon crystals naturally form without lead' — This statement captures a key idea used in early radiometric dating: zircon minerals preferentially incorporate uranium when they form and typically exclude lead, so any lead found in Zircon is mainly from radioactive decay of uranium over time. This makes zircons excellent clocks for dating ancient rocks. The general claim that zircons form without lead is aligned with their crystal chemistry and is why they are used for dating ages of Earth’s rocks. This option is consistent with the historical use of U–Pb dating.

Option 2: 'Zircon crystals form only in the presence of lead' — This is incorrect. Zircon crystallization does not require lead; in fact, zircon tends to exclude lead during formation. Lead abundance in freshly formed zircon is minimal, which is precisely why the uranium-to-lead dating method works well for zircon.

Option 3: 'Lead decays to uranium' — This is the reverse of the actual decay process. In radiometric dating, uranium decays to lead, not the other way around. So this statement misrepresents the decay chain and is incorrect.

Option 4: 'Uranium decays to lead' — This is a correct description of the U–Pb dating scheme. Uranium isotopes decay through a series of steps to stable lead isotopes, and by measuring the ratio of uranium to lead in zircon (or other minerals), scientists can estimate the elapsed time since the mineral formed.

In summary, options 1 and 4 describe true aspects of how radiometric dating with zircon and uranium–lead decay can be used to gauge Earth's age, while options 2 and 3 contain fundamental inaccuracies about zircon formation and radioactive decay processes.

My LMS Subjects Quiz Topic 3: Formation of the solar system

Which two useful properties were used by John Joly and Ernest Rutherford to estimate the age of the earth?

查看解析

登录即可查看完整答案

类似问题

Select three of the followng disciplines which have made the most significant contributions to estimating the age of the earth in the 19th and 20th century.

Why are moon rocks useful in estimating the age of the earth?

(Q010) To calculate the numerical age of a fossil specimen that you believe dates to about 2 mya, which of the following methods would you choose?

What determines the slope on an isochron diagram?

Which statements are true regarding absolute dating techniques? (Select all that apply)

The oldest continental rock measured is 4.37 billion years old.

In a consumer society, many adults channel creativity into buying things

Economic stress and unpredictable times have resulted in a booming industry for self-help products

更多留学生实用工具

考试浏览器助手

风格化写作助手

论文查重助手

文献引用助手

课堂转译助手

课堂笔记助手

Quiz搜索助手

学校历年真题

智能刷题助手

智能匹配练习

希望你的学习变得更简单