NEETBiologyEvolutionMCQ+4 / −1
Which of the following is the relatively most
accurate method for dating of fossils ?
- ARadio-carbon method
- BUranium-lead method
- CPotassium–argon method
- DElectron-spin resonance method
View written solutionFree
Correct answer: D
Electron spin resonance (ESR) measures the
number of charges occupying deep traps in the crystal
bandgap. By measuring the change in absorption of
microwave energy within a continuously varying
strong magnetic field, this method detects the number
of “unpaired spins” of electronic charges trapped at
various defects in the mineral lattice.
The principle of ESR dating is that radiation damage
occurs in minerals as a result of uranium uptake, and
external effects. This damage is usually repaired in
living tissue, but in dead tissue it accumulates. If the
method of uptake can be judged, then the approximate
age of the tissue can be deduced from the extent of
the radiation damage.
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