How Old Is the Earth, Really???
Science and Religion Differ Markedly
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A Short Discussion with Advanced Google Gemini
How can we tell the difference in age between Mt. St. Helens and the Grand Canyon?
The age difference between Mount St. Helens and the Grand Canyon is significant, and we can tell the difference using a variety of geological techniques:
1. Rock Types and Formation:
- Mount St. Helens: Primarily composed of relatively young volcanic rocks formed from eruptions, with the oldest rocks dating back to around 40,000 years ago. The landscape is dominated by volcanic features like lava flows, ash deposits, and the volcanic cone itself.
- Grand Canyon: Exposes a vast sequence of much older sedimentary rocks, with the oldest layers at the bottom dating back almost 2 billion years. These layers were formed by deposition of sediments over long periods, followed by uplift and erosion by the Colorado River.
2. Radiometric Dating:
- This technique measures the decay of radioactive isotopes within rocks to determine their age.
- Volcanic rocks from Mount St. Helens can be directly dated using methods like Potassium-Argon dating.