Absolute dating is used to determine a precise age of a rock or fossil through radiometric dating methods. This uses radioactive minerals that occur in rocks and fossils almost like a geological clock. Its often much easier to date volcanic rocks than the fossils themselves or the sedimentary rocks they are found in.Absolute dating

What type of dating is used for dinosaurs?

radiometric dating Todays knowledge of fossil ages comes primarily from radiometric dating, also known as radioactive dating. Radiometric dating relies on the properties of isotopes. These are chemical elements, like carbon or uranium, that are identical except for one key feature -- the number of neutrons in their nucleus.

Why do scientists use index fossils when dating rock layers?

Index Fossils - are fossils that must be widely distributed and represent a type of organism that existed only briefly. Index fossils are useful because they tell the relative ages of the rock layers in which they occur.