carbon-dating
Isotopic age determination
Carbon-dating is a method for determining the age of organic materials by measuring their remaining radioactive carbon-14.
Living things absorb carbon-14 from the atmosphere; after death, it decays at a known rate.
Scientists can estimate when something died by how much remains: Carbon-dating placed the artifact at 3,000 years old.
Also called radiocarbon dating.
Decaying carbon isotope
- half-lifePeriod for fifty-percent reduction
- decayGradual organic breakdown
- radiometricMeasuring by radiation
- mass spectrometryMeasures ionic weight ratios
beta particles · cosmic rays · accelerator · contamination · precision · margin of error · dendrochronology · calibration
Apex-topped geometric solids
- mummiesPreserved wrapped bodies
- pharaohsAncient Egypt's supreme rulers
- bronze ageNotable but subprime period
- neolithicFinal Stone Age period
paleolithic · cave paintings · petroglyphs · bog bodies · papyrus · wooden coffins
Act of unearthing
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- potteryFired clay objects
- prehistoricBefore documented civilization
- settlementsEstablished communities or agreements
tombs · burial sites · charcoal · bone fragments · textiles · ancient tools · hearths · provenance
Preserved ancient organism traces
- mammothsExtinct woolly elephants
- paleobiologyStudy of ancient organisms
- megafaunaSpecies over 44 kilograms
- extinction eventsCatastrophes eliminating many species
sedimentary layers · cave bear · ice age · ancient DNA · fossil record
Temporal ordering of events
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- paleoclimatePast geological climate conditions
- sedimentationParticles settling in liquid
- potassium-argonIsotopic age-determination technique
uranium-lead · thermoluminescence · geological timescale · quaternary · radioactive decay
radiocarbon
Decaying carbon isotope
- half-lifePeriod for fifty-percent reduction
- decayGradual organic breakdown
- radiometricMeasuring by radiation
mass spectrometry · beta particles · cosmic rays · accelerator · contamination · precision · margin of error · dendrochronology · calibration
pyramids
Apex-topped geometric solids
- mummiesPreserved wrapped bodies
- pharaohsAncient Egypt's supreme rulers
- bronze ageNotable but subprime period
neolithic · paleolithic · cave paintings · petroglyphs · bog bodies · papyrus · wooden coffins
excavation
Act of unearthing
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- potteryFired clay objects
- prehistoricBefore documented civilization
settlements · tombs · burial sites · charcoal · bone fragments · textiles · ancient tools · hearths · provenance
fossils
Preserved ancient organism traces
- mammothsExtinct woolly elephants
- paleobiologyStudy of ancient organisms
- megafaunaSpecies over 44 kilograms
extinction events · sedimentary layers · cave bear · ice age · ancient DNA · fossil record
chronology
Temporal ordering of events
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
- paleoclimatePast geological climate conditions
- sedimentationParticles settling in liquid
potassium-argon · uranium-lead · thermoluminescence · geological timescale · quaternary · radioactive decay
carbon-datingguesswork
Conclusions drawn without proof
estimation · intuition · relative dating · speculation · stratigraphy
carbon-datingdendrochronology
Dating via growth rings
tree-ring dating · stratigraphy · thermoluminescence · historical records · documentary evidence
carbon, dating, carbons, carbonic, carbonize, carbonized, carbonization, carbo, carbohydrate