Question

Before the development of isotopic dating methods, scientists estimated the age of the Earth by: ___________

a. estimating eruption rates of volcanoes.
b. comparing rates of change on the Earth's surface today with the geologic record.
c. counting tree rings.
d. determining the time it takes to create fossils like shark teeth.

Answer 1

option B. Before isotopic dating methods, scientists estimated the age of the Earth using relative dating techniques to determine the geological ages of fossils, allowing them to calculate the rate of speciation of early organisms.

Step-by-step explanation:

Before the development of isotopic dating methods, scientists estimated the age of the Earth by using relative dating techniques to determine the geological ages of the fossils found. By comparing the ages of different fossils, scientists could calculate the rate of speciation of early organisms and estimate the age of the Earth. This method involved analyzing the sequence and characteristics of rocks, environmental indicators, or fossils to determine their relative age.

Answer 2

B. comparing rates of change on the Earth's surface today with the geologic record.

Here's some other possible answers:

Counting generations in the bible, comparing rates of change on Earth's surface today with the geologic record, calculating the cooling history of the Earth, estimating evolution rates from the fossil record

Hope it helps!