Relative dating is used to determine a fossils approximate age by comparing it to similar rocks and fossils of known ages. Absolute dating is used to determine a precise age of a fossil by using radiometric dating to measure the decay of isotopes, either within the fossil or more often the rocks associated with it.Relative dating is used to determine a fossils approximate age by comparing it to similar rocks and fossils of known ages. Absolute dating

How can scientists determine absolute dating of rocks?

Radiometric dating Most absolute dates for rocks are obtained with radiometric methods. These use radioactive minerals in rocks as geological clocks. The atoms of some chemical elements have different forms, called isotopes. These break down over time in a process scientists call radioactive decay.

How can relative and absolute dating help in the study of the Earths processes?

With absolute age dating, scientists determine the absolute age of a rock in millions of years before present rather than just the age of the rock relative to the rock units around it. This information helps geologists develop more precise geological history models for the rocks and regions they study.

How does the relative and absolute age of rocks and the fossil record?

The relative age is the age relative to surrounding fossils; it is not an exact age. Absolute aging, which is also known as absolute dating, uses radioactive isotopes, whose known half-lives can be used to calculate the number of years which have elapsed since a rock formed.