2006-11-21 06:29:25 · 21 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
are there really people walking around that actually think the Earth is only 6010 years old??? even with scientific evidence thats its 4-billion + ? I could see arguments if the range were closer but I mean 6000 vs 4 billion ???? plus the geological evidence? hmmm
2006-11-21 06:47:59 · update #1
4.6 billion years old
2006-11-21 06:30:30 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
The oldest known rocks on Earth have been dated to between 3.6 to 3.9 billion years old. These rocks have NOT been dated using carbon dating techniques (which only work on organic matter, which have carbon in them, and are only accurate on objects up to about 50,000 years old). They have been dated using other radiometric dating techniques, specifically by measuring the radiometric decay of uranium isotopes into lead isotopes (U-238 decays into Pb-206, and U-235 decays into Pb-207).
These measurements do not give an age for the Earth itself, but indicate that the Earth must be at least that old.
Radiometric dates obtained from meteorites (which presumably coalesced from solar system gases about the same time as Earth, and haven't gone through the same geological reworking that Earth's rocks have) show consistent dates between 4.2 and 4.6 billion years old. These are mostly Rubidium/Strontium dates (again NOT carbon dating), but also Argon/Argon (Argon 40 decays to Argon 39), Samarium/Neodymium, Lutetium/Hafnium and Rhenium/Osmium decay rate measurements. In many cases, multiple methods used on the same meteorite give the same date.
By using the dates obtained from the meteorites, there's no reason to assume that the Earth is any older than the meteorites, and so the date of 4.6 billion years is generally accepted.
2006-11-21 07:10:59 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The best scientific evidence shows that Earth is about 4.5-billion years old, give or take a few million years.
2006-11-21 06:31:37 · answer #3 · answered by Chug-a-Lug 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Science dates the age the Earth by carbon dating, the approximate age of the oldest rocks, etc... But Earth scientist also say that the tectonic plates that make up the surface are slowly but constantly recycled and melted down into magma as they go underneath each other, kind of like a snake eating it's own tail, so I'm not sure? It makes you wonder it there were ever civilizations millions and millions of years ago that have no trace left of their existence?
2006-11-21 06:40:10 · answer #4 · answered by LuvFlwr 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe that the earth is billions of years old but many people believe the earth to be much less than that because of their faith. But carbon dating tells us the earth is about 5-6 billion years old but religion tells us differently.. Hope I helped :o)
2006-11-21 06:32:43 · answer #5 · answered by sourstraws 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
About 4.5 Billion years plus or minus a couple hundred million...
2006-11-21 06:33:12 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
5 to 7 billion years old ..
2006-11-21 06:31:11 · answer #7 · answered by Mudd 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
earth is 5 billion years old look it up.
2006-11-21 06:30:18 · answer #8 · answered by ~*cRaCkNeSs*~ 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's 4.6 billion years old.
2006-11-21 06:31:29 · answer #9 · answered by Justsyd 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
6 billion years.
2006-11-21 06:30:19 · answer #10 · answered by solanacea 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋