What is the Difference Between Relative Dating and Radiometric Dating?

The main difference between relative dating and radiometric dating lies in the techniques used to estimate the age of an object or event.

Relative Dating:

Estimates the age of an object in relation to other objects or events, without determining its absolute age.
Used to determine the relative order of past events.
Compares the age of one object to another.
Does not provide actual numerical dates.

Radiometric Dating:

Calculates the age of an object based on the present radioactive isotopes within it and the half-life of those isotopes.
Determines the absolute age of rocks and minerals using certain radioactive isotopes.
Provides actual numerical dates.
Commonly used methods include radiocarbon dating (14C) for organic material and potassium-argon dating (40K) for rocks.

In summary, relative dating compares the age of one object to another, while radiometric dating uses the decay of radioactive isotopes to estimate the absolute age of an object or event in numerical terms.

On this page

What is the Difference Between Relative Dating and Radiometric Dating?

Comparative Table: Relative Dating vs Radiometric Dating

The main difference between relative dating and radiometric dating lies in the techniques used to determine the age of geological features and materials. Here is a table comparing the two methods:

Feature	Relative Dating	Radiometric Dating
Definition	Determines the relative order of past events by comparing the age of geological features.	Determines the absolute age of past events by measuring the abundance of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope within the material.
Purpose	Provides the sequential data related to the geological dating of the rock.	Provides the exact age of a sample.
Technique	Compares the age of one object to another.	Uses the decay of radioactive isotopes to determine the age of the material.
Age Determination	Cannot provide actual numerical dates.	Provides actual numerical dates.
Method	Determines the age of a rock by its depth from the ground.	Measures the proportion of radioactive isotopes in the material.

In summary, relative dating is a technique used to determine the relative order of past events, while radiometric dating is a method for determining the absolute age of materials using the decay of radioactive isotopes.

Guilherme Mazui

Guilherme Mazui is graduated in journalism from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and a master's degree in Communication from the University of São Paulo (USP). In addition, he has experience in advertising writing and has worked as a content editor in several companies.