What is radiocarbon dating?

Radiocarbon dating is a method used to determine the age of organic materials.

Radiocarbon dating, also known as carbon-14 dating, is a technique used to determine the age of organic materials such as wood, charcoal, and bone. It is based on the fact that carbon-14, a radioactive isotope of carbon, is constantly produced in the atmosphere and is absorbed by living organisms. When an organism dies, it stops absorbing carbon-14 and the amount of carbon-14 in its remains begins to decrease through radioactive decay.

The rate of decay of carbon-14 is well established, with a half-life of 5,700 years. By measuring the amount of carbon-14 remaining in a sample and comparing it to the initial amount of carbon-14, scientists can determine how long ago the organism died. This method is accurate up to about 50,000 years ago.

Radiocarbon dating has revolutionized our understanding of the past, allowing scientists to determine the ages of ancient artifacts and fossils with remarkable precision. It has been used to date everything from the Shroud of Turin to the Dead Sea Scrolls to the remains of King Tutankhamun. However, it is not without its limitations, as it can only be used on organic materials and is subject to contamination and other sources of error. Nonetheless, radiocarbon dating remains one of the most important tools in the archaeologist's toolkit.