Gourt > Science > Social Sciences > Archaeology > Topics > Geoarchaeology > Radiocarbon Dating
Radiocarbon dating is a radiometric dating method that uses the naturally occurring isotope carbon-14 to determine the age of carbonaceous materials up to ca 60,000 years. Within archaeology it is considered an absolute dating technique. The technique was discovered by Willard Frank Libby and his colleagues in 1949 during his tenure as a professor at the University of Chicago. Libby estimated that the steady state radioactivity concentration of exchangeable 14C would be about 14 disintegrations per minute (dpm) per gram carbon (ca. 230 mBq/g). In 1960, Libby was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his method to use carbon-14 for age determination.
Furthering the technique and applications
Hessel de Vries, at the University of Groningen furthered the detection methods and applications to a variety of sciences. He has been called "the unsung hero of radiocarbon dating" (cf Willis).
Basic chemistry
Carbon has two stable, nonradioactive isotopes: carbon-12 (12C), and carbon-13 (13C). In addition, there are tiny amounts of the unstable isotope carbon-14 (14C) on Earth. Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5730 years and would have long ago vanished from Earth were it not for the unremitting cosmic ray impacts on nitrogen in the Earth's atmosphere, which forms more of the isotope. When cosmic rays enter the atmosphere, they undergo various transformations, including the production of neutrons. The resulting neutrons participate in the following reaction on one of the N atoms being knocked out of a Nitrogen (N2) molecule in the atmosphere: More on [ Radiocarbon dating ]
Radiometric Dating :: Geochronology
Methods and Techniques :: Science
How Accurate Is The Radiocarbon Dating Method?: I hope that regardless what your position that those of you are.. http://bit.ly/jwU1M
blogtoblog (blogblog) Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:26:24 -0000
How Accurate Is The Radiocarbon Dating Method?: I hope that regardless what your position that those of you are.. http://bit.ly/jwU1M
radiocarbon dating, neoclassical economics, and polymodal chromaticism are easier to understand than Wave EasierToUnderstandThanWave.com
babusyed (Babu Syed) Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:00:22 -0000
radiocarbon dating, neoclassical economics, and polymodal chromaticism are easier to understand than Wave EasierToUnderstandThanWave.com
Radiocarbon dating, neoclassical economics, and polymodal chromaticism are easier to understand than Wave - http://tr.im/DZ5a
Auslay (Zauslay) Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:45:13 -0000
Radiocarbon dating, neoclassical economics, and polymodal chromaticism are easier to understand than Wave - http://tr.im/DZ5a
PLoS ONE: Radiocarbon Dating of the Human Eye Lens Crystallines... http://tinyurl.com/yck6y3p
alexissy46oj (Alexis Santos) Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:17:19 -0000
PLoS ONE: Radiocarbon Dating of the Human Eye Lens Crystallines... http://tinyurl.com/yck6y3p
PLoS ONE: Radiocarbon Dating of the Human Eye Lens Crystallines... http://tinyurl.com/ye4m6mv
brenda_px5m3b (Brenda Powers) Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:47:02 -0000
PLoS ONE: Radiocarbon Dating of the Human Eye Lens Crystallines... http://tinyurl.com/ye4m6mv
Apparently Radiocarbon Dating is easier to understand than Google Wave 12060 people (71%) vs. 4960 people (29%) http://bit.ly/1P4MDM
BEN_PEACHEY (Ben Peachey) Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:33:15 -0000
Apparently Radiocarbon Dating is easier to understand than Google Wave 12060 people (71%) vs. 4960 people (29%) http://bit.ly/1P4MDM
CalPal - The Cologne Radiocarbon Calibration and Paleoclimate Research Package is designed to support research on hominid behavioural response to pleistocene climate change.
Meta Description: [ Cologne Radiocarbon Calibration & Paleoclimate Research Package. ]
CalPal - Online Radiocarbon Calibration - Dates between 50.000 and 1 BP will be calibrated using the calibration curve CalPal2004_SFCP.
Meta Description: [ Cologne Radiocarbon Calibration & Paleoclimate Research Package. ]
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Canadian Archaeological Radiocarbon Database (CARD) - Compilation of radiocarbon measurements that indicate the ages of archaeological and vertebrate palaeontological sites in North America.
Carbon Clock Could Show the Wrong Time - From PhysicsWeb, Carbon dating is a mainstay of geology and archaeology, but an enormous peak discovered in the amount of carbon-14 in the atmosphere between 45 thousand and 11 thousand years ago casts doubt on the biological carbon cycle that underpins the technique.
Meta Description: [ TBA ]
How Stuff Works: Carbon-14 Dating - Introductory tutorial.
Meta Description: [ Carbon-14 dating is something that you hear about in the news all the time. Find out how carbon-14 dating works and why carbon-14 dating is so accurate! ]
RadioCarbon - International journal of radio-isotope dating: Article indexes; sales of subscriptions and back issues.
Meta Description: [ Radiocarbon, an international journal of radiocarbon and other isotope dating ]
Radiocarbon Web-Info - Extensive information concerning the radiocarbon dating method from Tom Higham, Radiocarbon Laboratory, University of Waikato, New Zealand.
Meta Description: [ radiocarbon dating information ]
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