What characteristic is important in using radioisotope dating for very old items, such as rocks suspected to be over 100,000,000 years old?
A)The radioisotope cannot be soluble in water.
B)The radioisotope must give off light for easy measurement.
C)The radioisotope in question must decay to another radioisotope.
D)The radioisotope should have a very long half-life.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The radioisotope should have a very long half-life to ensure that it decays at a slow enough rate to be measurable over very long periods, such as over 100,000,000 years. This allows for accurate dating of ancient items.

What Characteristic Is Important in Using Radioisotope Dating for Very