Who is Clare Patterson?
Who is Clare Patterson?
Clair Cameron Patterson (June 2, 1922 – December 5, 1995) was an American geochemist….Clair Cameron Patterson.
| Clair C. Patterson | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | United States |
| Alma mater | Grinnell College University of Iowa University of Chicago |
| Known for | Uranium–lead dating, age of the Earth, lead contamination |
| Spouse(s) | Lorna “Laurie” Patterson ( m. 1944) |
What did Clair Patterson do?
Clair Patterson was an energetic, innovative, determined scientist whose pioneering work stretched across an unusual number of sub-disciplines, including archeology, meteorology, oceanography, and environmental science—besides chemistry and geology. He is best known for his determination of the age of the Earth.
How did Clair Patterson determine the age of the Earth?
Dr. Patterson isolated lead from fragments of a meteorite that had struck Earth thousands of years ago, and determined the age of the fragments by analyzing proportions of the lead isotopes. The meteorite is assumed to have been formed at the same time as the rest of the solar system, including Earth.
Why did Clair Patterson use meteorites?
In using meteorites to calculate the age of the Earth, Patterson made two assumptions about rocks that proved to be correct. He assumed, just as Holmes did, that meteorites were leftover materials from the beginning of the solar system and that by being in space, they would maintain an unchanged interior chemistry.
Who discovered Earth’s age?
In 1913, geologist Arthur Holmes published “the Age of the Earth,” the first major effort to date the planet using radiometric dating. “It is perhaps a little indelicate to ask of our Mother Earth her age,” he wrote in his introduction — then proceeded to reveal that she was roughly 1.6 billion years old.
Who discovered lead pollution?
geochemist Clair Patterson
Caltech geochemist Clair Patterson (1922–1995) helped galvanize the environmental movement 50 years ago when he announced that highly toxic lead could be found essentially everywhere on Earth, including in our own bodies—and that very little of it was due to natural causes.
Who discovered the true age of the Earth?
An age of 4.55 ± 0.07 billion years, very close to today’s accepted age, was determined by Clair Cameron Patterson using uranium–lead isotope dating (specifically lead–lead dating) on several meteorites including the Canyon Diablo meteorite and published in 1956.
Who first discovered the age of the Earth?
What is the true age of the Earth?
about 4.5 billion years old
Today, we know from radiometric dating that Earth is about 4.5 billion years old. Had naturalists in the 1700s and 1800s known Earth’s true age, early ideas about evolution might have been taken more seriously.
When did Clair Patterson discover the age of the Earth?
Developing very precise measuring techniques, Patterson arrived in 1956 at an age for the Earth of 4.550 billion years, with an error of +/- 70 million years. Amazingly, 60 years later, this is still the textbook age of the Earth.