how are radioactive isotopes used to determine the absolute age of igneous rock
Radiometric dating (often called radioactive dating) is a technique used to date materials such as rocks or carbon, in which trace radioactive impurities were selectively incorporated when they formed.his scheme is used to date old igneous and metamorphic rocks, and has also been used to date lunar samples. Closure temperatures are so high that they are not a concern. Rubidium-strontium dating is not as precise as the uranium-lead method, with errors of 30 to 50 million years for a 3-billion-year-old sample.