Dating with Radioactivity
Reviewing Basic Atomic Structure
Recall from Chapter 2 that each atom has a nucleus containing protons and neutrons and that the nucleus is orbited by electrons. Electrons have a negative electrical charge, and protons have a positive charge. A neutron is actually a proton and an electron combined, so it has no charge(it is neutral) Radioactivity The forces that bind protons and neutrons together in the nucleus usually are strong. However, in some isotopes, the nuclei are unstable because the forces binding protons and neutrons together are not strong enough. As a result, the nuclei spontaneously break a part (decay), a process called radioactivity What happens when unstable nuclei break apart? Three common types of radioactive decay are illustrated in Figure 11.15 and are summarized as follows. Because the rates of decay for many isotopes have been precisely measured and do not vary under the physical con ditions that exist in Earth's outer layers. Therefore, each radioactive isotope used for dating has been decaying at a fixed rate since the formation of the rocks in which it occurs, and the products of decay have been accumulating at a corresponding rate. For example, when uranium is incorporated into a mineral that crystallizes from magma, there is no lead(the stable daughter product from previous decay. The radiometric"clock" starts at this point. As the uranium in this newly formed mineral disintegrates, atoms of the daughter product are trapped, and measurable amounts of lead eventually accumulate.