Why Is the Major Branch of the K- 40 Decay

question 16

Multiple Choice

Why is the major branch of the K- 40 decay to Ca- 40 not useful in most cases for whole rock dating?

• A) It only works 89% of the time.
• B) Ca- 40 is itself unstable and further decays to more daughter products.
• C) The Ca- 40 that is produced by decay is indistinguishable from the naturally most abundant isotope of Ca that may have been present initially.
• D) The decay to Ar- 40 is faster and has wider geologic applicability.

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