Essay Question In Lieu Of Museum Field Trip

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Archaeology Paper
In the fields of Geology and Archaeology, dating is considered an important technique of evaluating the age and period of specific fossils. In the past, there were a significant number of ways to collect fossils and to study them for their properties, time, nature and age. However, the trend has now been changed. Today, absolute dating and relative dating are the only important techniques for studying fossils and determining their age and time. The relative dating is a method of determining the relationships of particular fossils with other objects found inside the Earth crust. On the other hand, absolute dating is a method or technique of finding out the actual age of target sites, fossils and artifacts.
In relative dating, the exact or actual age of objects is never known. The only thing that is made clear initially is which of the artifacts are older. Compared to absolute dating, relative dating is a less advanced method. Common sense principles are applied in this technique to determine which object or artifact is the oldest. The ancient factors of given objects or rocks are examined for days or weeks, and this phenomenon is known as stratigraphy. In other words, we can say that the age of fossils or artifacts in relative dating can be ascertained by viewing the deposition layers or the rocks. In addition to the rocks, fossils are studied or examined for their physical properties, and this phenomenon is known as biostratigraphy.
The absolute dating, on the other hand, is a method of ascertaining the actual numerical age of the fossils, rocks, sites or artifacts. In this technique, carbon is used as the core component for evaluating the exact age of given objects. They are studied not only for their physical properties but also for their chemical properties. The most common types of absolute dating are annual cycle method, atomic clocks, carbon dating, and trapped electron method. Compared to the relative dating, all of these methods are advanced and more sophisticated. In addition, it is believed that absolute dating provides more accurate and reliable results than relative dating, which is because it gives numerical data. In some circumstances, this technique is accompanied with the radiometric dating, which is also used to determine the exact age of an object or two. In radiometric dating, a variety of radioactive minerals are collected from the rocks and then studied for their chemical and physical properties.
Comparison of Relative Dating and Absolute Dating

Relative Dating

Absolute Dating

Definition of the Term

Relative dating is a method of knowing which items or objects are older than the other.

Absolute dating is a technique of studying objects, artifacts or fossils for their exact age. Carbon is a must component.

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