Jenny finds a sample of a mineral known as zircon in a sample of rock material. She takes it back to her laboratory and measures the amount of radioactive uranium in it compared to the amount of radioactive lead. What additional piece of information must Jenny have in order to determine the age of the zircon?

Group of answer choices.

A. the ages of any fossils found near her sample of zircon.

B. the thickness of sedimentary rock layers found near the zircon.

C. the density of the rock in which the zircon was found.

D. the decay rates of radioactive uranium and lead.

D. the decay rates of radioactive uranium and lead.

Explanation:

A geologic column can be defined as a collection of rock layers that are typically grouped based on their relative ages in a descending order i.e from oldest to the youngest.

Generally, the layers of the rock that are found in various parts of the world are known to be different because they all comprises of distinct Earth's geological history.

In this scenario, Jenny finds a sample of a mineral known as zircon in a sample of rock material. She takes it back to her laboratory and measures the amount of radioactive uranium in it compared to the amount of radioactive lead.

Generally, all radioactive elements have a half-life (decay time) and a decay rate which is dependent on the decay constant. These informations when properly obtained can be used to determine the age of any historical material such as earth, rocks, monuments, etc., because the parent material decays into a stable daughter elements at a constant decay rate.

Hence, an additional piece of information Jenny must have in order to determine the age of the zircon is the decay rates of radioactive uranium and lead.

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