BASE GEOPHYSICS

I t is obvious that geologists can tell us, this rock (layer) is younger than this rock (layer). This is because they can apply  fundamental geology principles of stratigraphy when it comes to finding out which rock (layer) is younger and which is older. However when it comes to telling the numerical (actual) ages of rocks or layers, geologists should apply the radiometric technique known as Radiometric Dating . Radiometric dating got attention since the discovery of the field of radioactivity since the early of 20 th century that gave geologists and other scientists the new way of estimating the numerical age of various materials.  What is Radiometric Dating? Radiometric Dating is the technique of determining the absolute (actual) ages of various materials such as fossils, rocks, archeological objects like artifacts and pottery by applying the principles of radioactivity .  The basic principle of Radiometric dating is based on natural radioactivity as worked and invert...

Radioactivity has find many applications in human life such as in nuclear weapons like bombs, radiotherapy in health science. However in geophysics and geology the technique is also of much importance such as it used in age dating of rocks, mineral prospecting such as uranium deposits, geological mapping. All these are interesting issues that push me to write this piece of post to you, so that you can decipher the basics of physics and how this phenomena works. Okay! Let us be together until the end of this conversation. What is radioactivity ? Radioactivity is the process of decay of/or change in atomic nucleus that results in change of charge or its state of mass or both. or Radioactivity is the spontaneous disintegration of some naturally occurring elements into stable elements. i.e unstable elements (z > 83) ------>> stable elements, see the figure below for uranium 238 decaying series. This process associated with emission of natural radiations Radiometrics is the mea...