A scientist has a fossil that was found in a layer of rock close to Earth’s surface. He believes that the fossil is around 12,000 years old. Which method would best allow the scientist to confirm the actual age of the fossil?

-finding another fossil in a deeper layer of rock
-finding another fossil in the same layer of rock
-using carbon/nitrogen absolute dating
-using potassium/argon absolute dating

using carbon/nitrogen absolute dating.

Explanation:

A geologic column can be defined as a collection of rock layers that are typically grouped based on their relative ages in a descending order i.e from oldest to the youngest.

Generally, the layers of the rock that are found in various parts of the world are known to be different because they all comprises of distinct Earth's geological history.

A fossil can be defined as the mineral impression or remains of living organisms such as plants and animals that are prehistoric in nature.

In this scenario, a scientist has a fossil that was found in a layer of rock close to Earth’s surface. He believes that the fossil is around 12,000 years old. Thus, the method which would best allow the scientist to confirm the actual age of the fossil is using carbon/nitrogen absolute dating because they are radioactive elements with different isotopes.

In Science, absolute dating can be defined as a process used to accurately determine the age of a rock or fossil by measuring the decay of isotopes associated with the rock or within the fossils. These informations when properly obtained can be used to determine the age of any historical monument or material such as earth, rocks, animals, plants, etc., because the parent material decays into a stable daughter elements at a constant decay rate.