Question

Each method of dating or otherwise analyzing material from a site depends on a principle of physics or chemistry. Match each of the terms on the left to the principle on the right by dragging each term to the appropriate box.

radiometric dating - An element decays radioactively at a known rate expressed as the half-life. - Radioactive elements decay, meaning they convert at a known rate into a different element.
paleomagnetic dating - Iron-containing particles in sediment or molten rock will orient with the Earth’s magnetic field as it settles or cools. - Stable isotopes are minor variants of elements and are not radioactive. The amounts that are found in formerly living organisms depend on the temperature during the organisms’ lifetimes or the organisms’ diets.
stable isotope analysis - Variants of nonradioactive elements with slightly different masses are incorporated into living organisms in different amounts depending on environmental conditions. -
electron spin resonance dating - Buried fossils absorb radioactive isotopes from the surrounding burial environment. - Electron spin resonance dating uses the concentration of radioactive isotopes in a fossil to date it. Fossils absorb radioisotopes once they are buried, so the older the fossil, the greater the concentration of radioisotopes it will contain.

Answer 1

Radiometric dating uses the decay rate of radioactive isotopes to estimate the age of materials. Paleomagnetic dating relies on the alignment of iron particles with Earth's magnetic field. Stable isotope analysis studies variations in the abundance of nonradioactive isotopes to provide information about past environmental conditions.

Step-by-step explanation:

The process of radiometric dating is based on the principle that certain radioactive isotopes decay at a steady, known rate. To determine the age of materials, scientists use the half-life of these isotopes, which is the time it takes for half of the original radioactive material to decay.

For example, carbon-14 has a half-life of 5,730 years and is utilized to date organic material by measuring the ratio of carbon-14 to carbon-12 in a specimen. When living organisms stop consuming carbon-14, such as when they die, the ratio of carbon-14 to carbon-12 begins to decrease because carbon-14 decays while carbon-12 remains constant.

Paleomagnetic dating, in contrast, relies on the geographic orientation of iron particles in sediments or igneous rocks. As these materials settle or cool, the iron particles align with Earth's magnetic field. This alignment can offer information about the Earth's magnetic field at the time the rock or sediment formed, which in turn is used to estimate its age.

Stable isotope analysis does not involve radioactive decay, but rather the study of the variations in the natural abundance of stable isotopes. These isotopes are not radioactive and can indicate environmental conditions at the time of the organism's life, such as diet or climate. This analysis can be particularly informative in studies of animal migration, climate change, and paleoecology.