To find their age, two major geological dating methods are used.These are called relative and absolute dating techniques.Prior to the discovery of radiometric dating which provided a means of absolute dating in the early 20th century, archaeologists and geologists were largely limited to the use of relative dating techniques to determine the geological events.
The relative dating techniques are very effective when it comes to radioactive isotope or radiocarbon dating.
However, not all fossils or remains contain such elements.
Our planet inherits a large number of artifacts and monuments bestowed upon us by older historic civilizations.
These remains are subjected to dating techniques in order to predict their ages and trace their history.
Among the best-known techniques are radiocarbon dating, potassium-argon dating and uranium-lead dating.
By allowing the establishment of geological timescales, it provides a significant source of information about the ages of fossils and the deduced rates of evolutionary change.Relative dating is the science determining the relative order of past events, without necessarily determining their absolute age.In geology rock or superficial deposits, fossils and lithologies can be used to correlate one stratigraphic column with another.Radiometric dating, often called radioactive dating, is a technique used to determine the age of materials such as rocks.It is based on a comparison between the observed abundance of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope and its decay products, using known decay rates.Radiometric dating is also used to date archaeological materials, including ancient artifacts.