Geologists often need to know the age of material that they find. They use absolute dating methods, sometimes called numerical dating, to give rocks an actual date, or date range, in numbers of years. This is different to relative dating, which only puts geological events in time order.

What are methods of numerical dating?

The method of using radioactive decay to determine the age of rocks is called radiometric dating. This is our principal form of numerical dating. Today, we dont just use uranium to measure the ages of rocks. We can use potassium, rubidium and carbon as well.

Is absolute dating quantitative or qualitative?

➤ Absolute dating is quantitative. ➤ This technique helps determine the exact age of the remains. ➤ It is more specific than relative dating. ➤ Absolute dating is expensive and time-consuming.