Relative Dating vs. Absolute Dating: What's The Difference?

Relative Dating vs.
Absolute Dating:
What's the Difference?
Key Difference
In the field of Geology, dating is an important term as it is a technique through which

evaluation regarding the age and period about the fossil, remains, the archaeologists do
valuables and artifacts. At first, there were not many methods of dating were available,
but now with advancement in the technology, we mainly have two types of the
techniques to ascertain ages of ancient belongings. Relative Dating and Absolute Dating
are two types of such techniques which are under practice to determine the age of the
fossils, objects or civilizations. The relative dating is the technique in the Geology
through which the age is determined with relation to the other objects. In other words,
we can say that in relative dating the archaeologist determines that which of the two
fossil or the artifacts are older. Contrary to this, the absolute dating is the technique,
using which the exact age of the artifacts, fossils, or sites are ascertained.
Comparison Chart
Relative Dating Absolute Dating
The relative dating is the technique used to The absolute dating is the technique which tells
Definition know that which object or item is older in about the exact age of the artifact or the site using
comparison to the other one. the methods like carbon dating.
Other
No other name. Also known as the numerical dating.
name
In relative dating techniques like stratigraphy

Methods like radiometric dating, carbon dating,
Methods and biostratigraphy are used to know which of
and trapped electron method are used.
the object is older.
What is Relative Dating?
The relative dating is the technique to ascertain the age of the artifacts, rocks or even
sites while comparing one from the other. In relative dating the exact age of the object
is not known; the only thing which made clear using this is that which of the two
artifacts is older. The relative dating is less advanced technique as compared to the
absolute dating. In relative dating, mostly the common sense principles are applied, and
it is told that which artifact or object is older than the other one. Most commonly, the
ancient factors of the rocks or objects are examined using the method called
stratigraphy. In other words, we can say that the age in the relative dating is
ascertained by witnessing the layers of deposition or the rocks. As the word relative
tells that defining the object with respect to the other object, it will be pertinent to
mention here that actual numerical dates of the rocks or sites are not known in this
type of dating. Other than rocks, fossils are the other most important elements in the
relative dating as many organisms have there remain in the sedimentary rocks. This
evaluation of the rocks and fossils in the relative dating is known as the biostratigraphy.
What is Absolute Dating?
The absolute dating is the technique to ascertain the exact numerical age of the
artifacts, rocks or even sites, with using the methods like carbon dating and other. To
evaluate the exact age, both the chemical and physical properties of the object are
looked keenly. The main techniques used in absolute dating are carbon dating, annual
cycle method, trapped electron method, and the atomic clocks. These techniques are
more complex and advanced regarding technology as compared to the techniques in
practice in the relative dating. The absolute dating is also sometimes referred as the
relative numerical dating as it comes with the exact age of the object. The absolute
dating is more reliable than the relative dating, which merely puts the different events
in the time order and explains one using the other. The radiometric dating is another
crucial technique through which the exact age can be obtained. In radiometric dating,
the radioactive minerals within the rocks are used to know about the age of the object
or the sites.
Relative Dating vs. Absolute Dating
 The relative dating is the technique used to know that which object or item is
older in comparison to the other one. Contrary to this, the absolute dating is the
technique which tells about the exact age of the artifact or the site using the methods
like carbon dating.
 The absolute dating is also known as the numerical dating as it comes up with
the exact numerical age of the item.
 In relative dating techniques like stratigraphy and biostratigraphy are used to
know which of the object is older. On the other hand, in absolute dating, methods like
radiometric dating, carbon dating, and trapped electron method are used.
Geological time scale

The vast expanse of geological time has been separated into eras, periods, and epochs. The numbers
included below refer to the beginnings of the division in which the title appears. The numbers are in
millions of years. The named divisions of time are for the most part based on fossil evidence and
principles for relative dating over the past two hundred years. Only with the application of radiometric
dating have numbers been obtained for the divisions observed from field observations.
Plant and Animal

Era Period Epoch
Development
Holocene (.01)
Quaternary
Pleistocene (1.8) Humans develop
Pliocene (5.3)
Cenozoic Miocene (23.8) "Age of mammals"
Tertiary Oligocene (33.7)
Eocene (54.8) Extinction of dinosaurs and

many other species.
Paleocene (65.0)
Cretaceous (144) First flowering plants
Jurassic (206)
Mesozoic "Age of Reptiles" First birds

Triassic (248)
Dinosaurs dominant.
Permian (290) Extinction of trilobites and many other marine animals
Paleozoic "Age of Amphibians" First reptiles
Large coal swamps

Relative Dating vs. Absolute Dating: What's The Difference?

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Relative Dating vs.

In the field of Geology, dating is an important term as it is a technique through which

Relative Dating Absolute Dating

In relative dating techniques like stratigraphy

What is Relative Dating?

What is Absolute Dating?

Relative Dating vs. Absolute Dating

Geological time scale

Plant and Animal

Cenozoic Miocene (23.8) "Age of mammals"

Tertiary Oligocene (33.7)

Eocene (54.8) Extinction of dinosaurs and

Cretaceous (144) First flowering plants

Mesozoic "Age of Reptiles" First birds

Paleozoic "Age of Amphibians" First reptiles

Large coal swamps

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