Question

State two ways by which age of fossils can beestimated

Answer 1

Age of fossils can be determined by relative method (digging) and by carbon dating method.

Answer 2

1) the relative age of fossils can be estimated by studying the depth of burial and the layer of soil in which it is buried. fossils buried deeper and in lower layers are older while those in layers higher up and buried closer to the surface are newer.

2) the approximate age of fossils can be estimated through carbon dating. radioactive isotopes of an element (like carbon- 14C) are naturally present in an organism and after death they start to decay into the non-radioactive isotopes (12C in carbon). by comparing the ratio of radioactive isotopes to non-radioactive isotopes in the fossil to the same ratio in living organisms the age of the fossil can be estimated.