Do scientists use anything besides carbon-dating to determine the age of fossils?

Question

Do scientists use anything besides carbon-dating to determine the age of fossils?

Answer 1

No.

Answer 2

Actually carbon dating is only used for relatively recent fossils, with an absolute maximum age of about 50,000 to 60,000 years.     Potassium dating and Uranium dating of the rocks in which the fossils lie, is much more common. There are also some other methods not involving carbon, one involves electron spin, I believe.

Answer 3

There are direct and relative dating methods available to determine the age of fossils. Radiometric dating techniques (direct) are most often used. Carbon dating is only useful for dating organisms that died less than ~50K years ago, so other isotopes are used for older periods. Palynology is another method used for dating. When fossils are not available, key events in the history of life may sometimes be dated using molecular approaches.

Answer 4

there are two general methods.

relative dating and absolute dating

absolute refers to carbon dating

relative refers to the examination of materials that the fossil is found with such as plants known to exist during a certain period.