Revisiting the Isochron Age Model, Part 1 | The Institute for Creation Research

Revisiting the Isochron Age Model, Part 1

Radioactive dating is based on the decay rate of a starting radioactive isotope (the parent) into its stable counterpart (the daughter). An age is assigned to an object by measuring the quantity of each isotope and calculating how long it would take for the parent to decay into the daughter. Since the mid-20th century, the isochron age model has been the standard for dating rocks, minerals, and crystals via the decay of certain radioisotopes they contain.

This model had its origins in a rather obtuse paper published in 1960. Ironically, even the authors of this paper admitted that the potassium feldspars from the granitic rocks they analyzed gave a wide range of supposed ages. It’s widely claimed that this model eliminates the need for any assumptions about the initial amount of the daughter isotopes when dating an object using the decay of specific isotopes within that object. But does it?

In the next two articles we’ll take a closer look at the isochron age model and evaluate its ability to accurately assess the absolute historical age of an object. We will use the Rb-Sr (rubidium-strontium) decay pair for demonstration since it employs the least number of secondary assumptions among the various decay pairs used in radioisotope dating.

Click here to read the full article.

Click here for Revisiting the Isochron Age Model, Part 2.

Cite this article: Vernon R. Cupps, Ph.D. 2020. Revisiting the Isochron Age Model, Part 1. Acts & Facts. 49 (6).

The Latest
CREATION PODCAST
Homo Naledi: The Lies Behind Evolution's Rising Star | The Creation...
Homo naledi, once evolution's 'rising star,' was considered to be a prime example of human evolution. But is it really proof? Or...

NEWS
A Subsurface Ocean on Mimas?
Scientists have analyzed data obtained from the Cassini spacecraft and concluded that irregularities in the orbit of Saturn’s moon Mimas indicate...

NEWS
In Theaters March 20 & 21: The Ark and the Darkness
Is Genesis true? What about Noah’s Flood? How did Noah fit the animals on the ark? Wasn’t it a local flood? Have you asked these questions? Though...

NEWS
Enigmatic Fossil Plants
The pre-Flood world thousands of years ago was unlike the world of today.1 Unfamiliar animals and plants were common, and there were a lot...

NEWS
Surprisingly Colorful Fossil Snail Shells
Finding organic compounds such as flexible dinosaur collagen and complete bone cells1,2 is becoming common, much to the shock and consternation...

NEWS
March 2024 ICR Wallpaper
"He is not here; for He is risen, as He said." (Matthew 28:6 NKJV) ICR March 2024 wallpaper is now available for mobile, tablet,...

CREATION PODCAST
Homo Erectus: The Shocking Truth About the "Ape Man"...
Homo erectus, or "Upright Man," has been upheld as a piece of mankind's "evolutionary history" since its discovery in 1891....

NEWS
Mystery of Moths' Warning Sound
Insects of all types continue to amaze entomologists with their design and physiology. Cleveland Hickman, Jr., et al. stated, “insect ears are...

NEWS
Geneticist Fired for Affirming Humans Once Lived 900 Years?
Geneticist Alexander Kudryavtsev, the head of the Russian Academy of Science’s Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, has been fired, reportedly...

ACTS & FACTS
Creation Kids: Solar Eclipses
Designed by Susan Windsor* You're never too young to be a creation scientist and explore our Creator's world. Kids, discover fun facts...