Thermal ionization mass spectrometer used in radiometric dating. To determine the ages in years of Earth materials and the timing of geologic events such as exhumation and subduction, geologists utilize the process of radiometric decay.

What tool is used for carbon dating?

Accelerator Mass Spectrometer In the early years of radiocarbon dating a products decay was measured, but this required huge samples (e.g. half a human femur). Many labs now use an Accelerator Mass Spectrometer (AMS), a machine that can detect and measure the presence of different isotopes, to count the individual 14C atoms in a sample.

Which radioisotope is used in dating?

Uranium–lead radiometric dating involves using uranium-235 or uranium-238 to date a substances absolute age.