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From: gwyn%brl-vld@sri-unix.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re:  Radioactive Dating
Message-ID: <12891@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 23-Oct-83 04:52:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.12891
Posted: Sun Oct 23 04:52:42 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 27-Oct-83 04:04:06 EDT
Lines: 13

From:      Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) <gwyn@brl-vld>

The specifics of radioisotope dating are tailored to the particular
circumstances.  Sometimes the relative abundance of isotopes of an
element varies for difference sources of the element (e.g. C-14).
Sometimes decay products are found mixed in substances where the
decay products would not normally be found (e.g. Pb).  Any good
archaeology text will explain several fossil dating techniques.
Any good geology text will explain mineral dating techniques.

One very important point is that these methods have cross-checks
for consistency, so there is little danger of radically wrong results
remaining undetected for very long.