The most common radioactive isotope detected is carbon 14. It is an important part of the atmosphere and is present in all organic beings. This is why it is commonly used to date the geological samples as well as fossils and remains. The isotope has a half-life of 5730 years hence it can only be used to date remains that are 75000 years old or less.
However, potassium 40 is another radioactive isotope with a half-life of 1.25 billion years. Hence, it can easily be used to estimate the time phase accurately, going back millions of years easily. The best thing is that the concept of dating stays the same.
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