GEOL 212 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Planetary Differentiation, Radiometric Dating, Decay Product
26 Dec 2017
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
An ongoing source of heat is the decay of the nuclei of radioactive isotopes. First, definitions: radioactivity: the spontaneous decay of the nucleus of one element into that of another. Radioactive decay is unpredictable, however nuclei of a given radioactive substance have a specific probability of decaying in any given moment: radioactive isotope: (a. k. a. Radioisotope) some isotopes are naturally stable - they will not undergo radioactive decay. A given radioactive substance will decay into a specific daughter product that may, itself, be radioactive or stable. Note: to denote isotopes, we write the atomic mass in superscript above and before the chemical element symbol. Thus, 12c, 13c, and 14c are isotopes of carbon. (only 14c is radioactive. ) The key point is that radioactive decay is a continuing source of new heat: for example, 26al -> 26mg + . Half-lives: to answer the first question above, we need to look at the time factor of radioactive decay.
