Select all the answers that apply. Geological evidence of the age of the earth includes _____. a. radiometric dating of rocks b. fossil evidence c. comparative anatomy d. molecular clocks e. gradual processes of rock formation
Geography · High School · Sun Jan 24 2021
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Answer: Geological evidence of the age of the Earth includes a. radiometric dating of rocks and e. gradual processes of rock formation.
Radiometric dating of rocks is a method used to determine the age of rocks by measuring the decay rate of radioactive isotopes contained within them. The decay rate is constant and can be used to back-calculate to the time when the rock was formed, providing an accurate age for the rock and, by extension, the Earth.
Gradual processes of rock formation, such as sedimentation, layering of rocks, and the cycling of geological materials (through the rock cycle) also give us clues about the time scales over which the Earth has formed and evolved. These processes are slow and indicate that the Earth must be very old to have accumulated such a large variety of geological formations.