⏰ when
When was Earth first dated to be billions of years old?
Quick Answer
That conclusion emerged in the early 20th century, especially after radiometric dating work in the 1920s and 1930s.
The Full Story
Earth’s age was first convincingly pushed into the billions of years range in the early 20th century, after radiometric dating became reliable. Arthur Holmes was a major figure in this work, helping establish that Earth was far older than the tens of millions of years some had proposed. By the 1920s and 1930s, ages of roughly 1 to 3 billion years were being discussed from rock data. The modern accepted age of about 4.54 billion years came later as methods improved.
Key Facts
1.Major progress in the 1920s and 1930s
2.Arthur Holmes was a key scientist
3.Modern accepted age is about 4.54 billion years
YouTube Angle
Suggested video title for this topic:
"How scientists learned Earth was ancient"
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