Isochron burial dating determines age based on when material was last exposed to cosmic radiation that produces radioactive aluminum and beryllium isotopes, which then decay at a steady rate after burial.
Notes on verification
Confirmed by multiple independent, high-quality sources including peer-reviewed methodological papers (Balco & Rovey 2008, Granger & Muzikar 2001) and reputable science journalism (Nature, PNAS, Purdue). Accurately reflects established geochronological method.
Sources
- 'Little Foot' Fossil Skeleton Rivals Famous Lucy in Age (nationalgeographic.com)
- https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/archive/releases/2015/Q2/new-instrument-dates-old-skeleton-little-foot-3.67-million-years-old.html (purdue.edu)
- https://www.pnas.org/post/journal-club/journal-club-age-of-little-foot-provides-twist-in-story-of-hominid-evolution (pnas.org)
- https://ajsonline.org/article/65864-an-isochron-method-for-cosmogenic-nuclide-dating-of-buried-soils-and-sediments.pdf (ajsonline.org)
- http://geomorphology.sese.asu.edu/Papers/Granger_Muzikar_01.pdf (geomorphology.sese.asu.edu)
- http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v522/n7554/fig_tab/nature14268_F3.html (nature.com)