Quote:
Originally Posted by ozark1
The radioactivity bit explains about 60% of the problem and is the principal fault and was the reason that Thomson conceded defeat in 1905.
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Kelvin might have conceded defeat for this reason, but he was wrong to do so. It was not until long after 1905 that we learnt enough about how much radiogenic material is in the Earth's interior and how it is distributed to arrive at an accurate assessment. The 1905 estimates of these things were inaccurate and much too high (hence your 60% figure).
In fact, it was not until the advent of plate tectonics in the second half of the 20th century that the discrepancy was finally resolved.