Some isotopes, however, decay slowly, and several of these are used as geologic clocks. Dating rocks by these radioactive timekeepers is simple in theory, but the laboratory procedures are complex. <span>All methods rely on the fact that certain elements (particularly uranium and potassium) contain a number of different isotopes whose half-life is exactly known and therefore the relative concentrations of these isotopes within a rock or mineral can measure the age.</span>
