Understand how radioactive isotopes are used in dating fossils Solution The remains or impreression of a prehostorical plnt or animal embedded in rock and preserved in petrified form is fossil. Dating a fossil mean determinate the aporoximate age of fossil . to determinate the age of fossil radioactive datind of igneous rocks found near the fossil is done. Radioactive dating cannot be used directly on fossils since they don\'t contain the unstable radioactive used in dating process To determine a fosil age igneous rock layer beneath the fossil and above it are dated . foe example when lava cool it has no lead content but it does contain some radioactive uranium . Over time the unstable radioactive uranium decays into Lead 207 at a constant know rate its half life . by comparing the amount of uranium235 and lead 207 the age of ignious rock cn be determined .Potassium 40 is also used to date fossils .He half life of cabon 14 is 5568 years . that means the half of carbon 14 decays into nitrigen 14 in 5568 years C14 dating is usefulfor dating items up to about 50000 to 60000 years ago ..