Absolute dating methods provide an actual date for the fossil. Relative dating only determines if a fossil is older or younger than another fossil. It does not provide an actual age for the fossil. Dating the volcanic glass in surrounding rock layers can help you determine the age of fossils in between those layers.

What is the technique used in absolute dating?

Radiometric dating Radiometric dating Most absolute dates for rocks are obtained with radiometric methods. These use radioactive minerals in rocks as geological clocks. The atoms of some chemical elements have different forms, called isotopes. These break down over time in a process scientists call radioactive decay.

How is absolute dating of a fossil done?

Absolute dating is used to determine a precise age of a fossil by using radiometric dating to measure the decay of isotopes, either within the fossil or more often the rocks associated with it.

What are the different dating methods in anthropology?

There are two main categories of dating methods in archaeology: indirect or relative dating and absolute dating. Relative dating includes methods that rely on the analysis of comparative data or the context (eg, geological, regional, cultural) in which the object one wishes to date is found.