Geologists have developed a geologic history of Earth by sequencing past geologic events and determining the relative and absolute ages of fossils and rocks. Relative age refers to the age of a fossil or rock in comparison to another, while absolute age is the real age. Index fossils and volcanic ash, which are widespread and lived or occurred over short time periods, are used to determine relative ages. Radioactive dating determines absolute ages by measuring the decay of radioactive elements like carbon-14 and uranium-238, which have half-lives of 5,700 and 4.5 billion years respectively.