How Old is the Earth

A Response to “Scientific” Creationism

by G. Brent Dalrymple

Copyright © 1984-2006

Contents

• INTRODUCTION
• DEDICATION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• RADIOMETRIC DATING
  • THE K-AR METHOD
  • THE RB-SR METHOD
  • THE U-PB METHOD
• SOME CREATIONIST CRITICISMS OF RADIOMETRIC DATING
  • “ANOMALOUS” AGES
    • The Woodmorappe List
    • The Reunion “Discordance”
    • The Hawaiian Basalts
    • The Kilauea Submarine Pillow Basalts
    • “Excess” Argon in Lunar Rocks
    • The 1801 Flow from Hualalai Volcano
  • METHODOLOGY
    • Initial ⁸⁷Sr
    • Initial ⁴⁰Ar
    • Isochrons
      • Uniform Initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr Ratio
      • The ⁵⁴Fe/⁸⁶Sr Ratio Versus ^S8Fe/⁸⁶Sr Ratio Analogy
      • Isochrons and Mixing Lines
    • Instrumentation
  • CONSTANCY OF RADIOACTIVE DECAY
  • ACCURACY OF CONSTANTS
  • NEUTRON REACTIONS AND PB-ISOTOPIC RATIOS
• SCIENTIFIC AGE OF THE EARTH
  • THE EARTH’S OLDEST ROCKS
  • AGES OF METEORITES
  • AGES OF LUNAR ROCKS
  • MODEL LEAD AGE OF METEORITES AND THE EARTH
• SOME CREATIONIST AGES OF THE EARTH
  • DECAY OF THE EARTH’S MAGNETIC FIELD (TABLE 10, NO. 1)
  • INFLUX OF METEORITIC DUST (TABLE 10, NOS. 3, 36)
  • INFLUX OF MAGMA TO THE CRUST (TABLE 10, NO. 5)
  • EFFLUX OF ⁴HE INTO THE ATMOSPHERE (TABLE 10, NO. 8)
  • ACCUMULATION OF SEDIMENT AND EROSION OF THE CONTINENTS (TABLE 10, NOS. 10 AND 11)
  • INFLUX OF URANIUM TO THE OCEAN (TABLE 10, NO. 19)
  • INFLUX OF OTHER ELEMENTS TO THE OCEAN (TABLE 10, NOS. 15-18 AND 42-68)
  • FORMATION OF RADIOGENIC PB AND SR BY NEUTRON CAPTURE (TABLE 10, NOS. 21 AND 22)
  • DECAY OF U WITH INITIAL PB AND DECAY OF K WITH TRAPPED AR (TABLE 10, NOS. 25 AND 26)
  • FORMATION OF RIVER DELTAS (TABLE 10, NO. 27)
  • SUBMARINE OIL SEEPAGE (TABLE 10, NO. 28)
  • DECAY OF NATURAL PLUTONIUM (TABLE 10, NO. 29)
  • COOLING OF THE EARTH (TABLE 10, NO. 40)
  • ACCUMULATION OF OOZE ON THE SEA FLOOR (TABLE 10, NO. 41)
  • FORMATION OF ¹⁴C ON METEORITES
• SUMMARY
• REFERENCES
• ADDENDUM: DERIVATION OF THE NEUTRON REACTION CORRECTION EQUATION

Home Page | Browse | Search | Feedback | Links

The FAQ | Must-Read Files | Index | Creationism | Evolution | Age of the Earth | Flood Geology | Catastrophism | Debates