Potassium-argon dating Fossils and other objects that accumulate between these eruptions lie between two different layers of volcanic ash and rock. An object can be given an approximate date by dating the volcanic layers occurring above and below the object.

How do we date dinosaurs?

There are two ways to determine the age of a dinosaur fossil. One is called relative geologic time, which involves deciding whether one dinosaur fossil is older or younger than another. The other is often called absolute geologic time, which involves estimating how many millions of years old a dinosaur fossil is.

Which radioactive element could be used to determine the age of dinosaur fossils?

Another common method, uranium-lead dating, relies on the radioactive decay of uranium and can be used to date rocks containing the oldest known fossils on Earth—older than 3.5 billion years old!

Are any dinosaurs alive today?

Other than birds, however, there is no scientific evidence that any dinosaurs, such as Tyrannosaurus, Velociraptor, Apatosaurus, Stegosaurus, or Triceratops, are still alive. These, and all other non-avian dinosaurs became extinct at least 65 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous Period.