Which radiometric dating technique is best for determining the age difference between two Miocene-age volcanic ash deposits separated by 500 feet?

Potassium-Argon dating is the most suitable technique for determining the age difference between two Miocene-age volcanic ash deposits. This method is particularly effective for dating volcanic materials and igneous rocks that are typically formed from processes that release large amounts of potassium.

Potassium (K) is a radioactive isotope that decays into Argon (Ar), a gas, over time. When volcanic ash forms, it traps the argon within the mineral structures. The half-life of potassium-40 is about 1.25 billion years, making it ideal for dating geological formations that are millions of years old, such as those from the Miocene epoch, which dates from about 23 to 5 million years ago. The significant time scale of potassium-argon dating allows it to measure the age differences between ash layers with considerable precision.

In contrast, Carbon-14 is primarily used for dating more recent organic materials, and it is not effective for volcanic ash deposits that are millions of years old. Uranium-Lead and Rubidium-Strontium methods may also date older geological materials, but they are more commonly used for certain types of rocks, like granites, rather than specifically volcanic ash layers. Their applicability to ash deposits is limited compared to Pot