Radiometric dating, which relies on the predictable decay of radioactive isotopes of carbon, uranium, potassium, and other elements, provides accurate age estimates for events back to the formation of Earth more than 4.5 billion years ago.

How far back can Radioactive dating go?

approximately 50,000 years ago C (the period of time after which half of a given sample will have decayed) is about 5,730 years, the oldest dates that can be reliably measured by this process date to approximately 50,000 years ago, although special preparation methods occasionally make accurate analysis of older samples possible.

How far back in time does radiocarbon dating extend?

CARBON-14 DATING Radiocarbon dating is the most widely used absolute chronometric method in archaeology, covering the last 55–60 000 years.

Which dating method is used to date rocks older than 100000 years?

Radiometric datingDating methodMaterial datedAge range datedLuminescenceTephra, loess, lake sedimentsUp to 100,000 years agoFission trackTephra10,000 to 400 million years agoPotassium-40 to argon-40Volcanic rocks20,000 to 4.5 billion years agoUranium-238 to lead-206Volcanic rocks1 million to 4.5 billion years ago1 more row•May 20, 2011