GENERAL GEOLOGY

GEOLOGY

PALEONTOLOGY

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
What is the estimated age of the Earth?
A
4.5 billion years
B
4.6 billion years
C
4.5 million years
D
4.6 million years
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Earth is estimated to be 4.54 billion years old, plus or minus about 50 million years. Scientists have scoured the Earth searching for the oldest rocks to radiometrically date.

Detailed explanation-2: -By dating the rocks in Earth’s ever-changing crust, as well as the rocks in Earth’s neighbors, such as the moon and visiting meteorites, scientists have calculated that Earth is 4.54 billion years old, with an error range of 50 million years. Related: How big is Earth?

Detailed explanation-3: -It is widely accepted by both geologists and astronomers that Earth is roughly 4.6 billion years old. This age has been obtained from the isotopic analysis of many meteorites as well as of soil and rock samples from the Moon by such dating methods as rubidium–strontium and uranium–lead.

Detailed explanation-4: -An age of 4.55 ± 0.07 billion years, very close to today’s accepted age, was determined by Clair Cameron Patterson using uranium–lead isotope dating (specifically lead–lead dating) on several meteorites including the Canyon Diablo meteorite and published in 1956.

Detailed explanation-5: -When the solar system settled into its current layout about 4.5 billion years ago, Earth formed when gravity pulled swirling gas and dust in to become the third planet from the Sun. Like its fellow terrestrial planets, Earth has a central core, a rocky mantle, and a solid crust.

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