What is radiometric dating? Does it fit with the view of a young earth?

featured article image

TL;DR:

Radiometric dating is a scientific method for estimating the age of matter, such as rocks and the Earth. The idea of a young Earth, as some interpret the Bible, is not easily compatible with the findings of radiometric dating.

from the old testament

  • Genesis 1:1 tells us that in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. This verse establishes the fact that God exists outside of time and that He created the material universe out of nothing.
  • Genesis 1:3-2:25 gives the history of creation. This text tells us about the miracle of how God created the earth and life. Young earth creationists interpret the days of Genesis 1 (Hebrew yom) as literal 24-hour days.
  • In the 1650s, Irish archbishop James Ussher, a distinguished historian and biblical scholar, argued that the date of God’s creative work in Genesis 1 was October 22, 4004 BC. To arrive at this (unusually exact) conclusion, he used the genealogies in Genesis 5 and 11 along with extrabiblical historical sources. More recently scholars have shown that the Biblical genealogies contain gaps and omissions, making the accuracy of this method doubtful.

from the new testament

  • The natural world reveals that God is wise, powerful, and eternal (Romans 1:20).
  • Not everything in our experience will be explained clearly (1 Corinthians 13:2).

implications for today

Scientists measure radioactive half-lives: how long it takes for half of a radioactive material (parent isotope) to decay into another element (daughter isotope). Using this knowledge, scientists are able to accurately determine the age of a specimen as long as three key assumptions are true. These assumptions are 1) the rate of decay of parent into daughter has remained constant over time; 2) the specimen being examined hasn’t been contaminated; and 3) we know how much of the parent and the daughter were present at the beginning of the decay process.

Assumptions two and three likely hold but are not certain. Scientists have developed methods to understand how much, if any, daughter product existed at the formation of a specimen. The first assumption is assumed to be true, but recent research shows an excess amount of helium in zircon crystals within granite specimens. This shows that decay rates could have been drastically different in the unobservable past. Scientists are aware of the uncertainties, but also find that radiometric dating is repeatable and consistent, even across radiometric methods.

Scientists have not found a way to determine the exact age of the Earth directly from Earth rocks because Earth’s oldest rocks have been recycled and destroyed by plate tectonics. The oldest Earth minerals analyzed to date are crystals from Australia, at 4.04 billion years. Instead, lunar samples and meteorite material are used to estimate when the Earth formed.

Young earth creationists acknowledge that many rock specimens contain at least hundreds of millions of years’ worth of radioactive decay. To account for this, they have proposed accelerated nuclear decay during either creation week or the Flood. However, such accelerated decay would result in immense amounts of heat being generated in rocks, enough to melt the rocks and the Earth's surface. Determining how this heat was dissipated is an ongoing research topic.

understand

  • Radiometric dating estimates Earth's age at 4.5 billion years, conflicting with a young Earth interpretation of Scripture.
  • Radiometric dating relies on assumptions about decay rates, contamination, and initial conditions, introducing uncertainties.
  • The Bible does not seek to prove the age of the Earth but rather to confirm the origins in God our Creator.

reflect

  • How does understanding radiometric dating challenge or strengthen your view of the Bible’s creation account?
  • What role does faith—but not a blind faith— play when scientific findings seem to conflict with biblical teachings?
  • How can trusting God’s wisdom help you navigate uncertainties about topics like the age of the Earth?

engage

  • How do we reconcile the scientific theories of the age of the Earth with the Bible's emphasis on God as Creator?
  • What can the differences between radiometric dating and biblical genealogies teach us about interpreting Scripture and science?
  • How does the Bible encourage us to view scientific discoveries about the natural world?