Radioactive Dating . . .
Geologists use radioactive dating techniques to estimate the age of rocks and fossils. These are based on the concept that a given radioactive substance decays at a fixed rate. As it decays, the concentration of radioactive atoms decreases, with a corresponding proportional decrease in the level of emitted radiation. Assuming that when a rock or fossil was formed, radioactive atoms were taken in from the environment in a known concentration, then the measured level of radiation today can be used to estimate the original date of formation.
It has to be stressed however that such techniques are based on the fundamental assumption that the levels of radioactivity in the environment have always been the same. Can we really be sure that this is the case?
If for any reason, radioation levels were once lower than they are today, then rocks and fossils would appear to be older than they really are. This fits in with the Biblical account of creation and can be explained by the
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