Last updated: February 2, 2026
"Radiometric dating gives unreliable results."— Walt Brown, In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood (1995), p. 24
1. Multiple independent methods converge on the same dates.
When scientists use different radioactive decay systems to date the same rock, they consistently get matching results. These methods rely on completely different physics:
| Sample | Method 1 | Method 2 | Agreement |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLIE-023 meteorite | Pb-Pb: 4.5623 ± 0.0009 Ga | Hf-W: 4.5640 ± 0.0024 Ga | Within 0.04% |
| Fish Canyon Tuff (Colorado) | Ar-Ar: 28.201 ± 0.046 Ma | U-Pb: 28.402 ± 0.023 Ma | Within 0.7% |
| Acasta Gneiss (Canada) | U-Pb: 4.031 ± 0.003 Ga | Sm-Nd: 4.002 ± 0.014 Ga | Within 0.7% |
If radiometric dating were unreliable, these independent systems—based on different elements, different decay mechanisms, and different half-lives—should produce scattered, inconsistent results. They do not.
2. Radiometric dates match independent verification methods.
Radiometric dating can be tested against samples with known ages:
| Sample | Radiometric Date | Independent Date | Method of Verification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Vesuvius eruption | 1,925 ± 94 years ago | 1,940 years ago | Historical records (79 CE) |
| Santorini eruption | 3,350 ± 10 years ago | 3,370 ± 20 years ago | Archaeology |
| Greenland ice layers | 110,400 ± 2,000 years | 110,570 ± 500 years | Annual layer counting |
| Japanese lake sediments | 52,800 ± 370 years | 52,690 ± 230 years | Annual varve counting |
3. The claim relies on cherry-picked anomalies.
Creationist sources cite a handful of problematic dates while ignoring the vast majority of consistent results. Anomalous dates typically result from:
When anomalies are found, scientists investigate and explain them. The existence of occasional bad data does not invalidate a method that works correctly the vast majority of the time.
4. Decay rates have been directly verified as constant.
The Oklo natural nuclear reactor in Gabon, Africa operated 2 billion years ago. Analysis of its isotope ratios demonstrates that nuclear decay rates were identical then to today—within 0.01% precision.1
Additionally, Supernova SN1987A, which exploded 168,000 light-years away, produced gamma rays from radioactive decay exactly matching laboratory-measured rates. This confirms decay constancy over both time and space.
5. Meteorite dates show extraordinary precision.
Four independent dating methods applied to meteorites yield:
Agreement within 0.01% across four different isotope systems is inconsistent with the claim of unreliability.