carbon dating
Ancient age determination
Carbon dating is a method for determining the age of organic materials by measuring the decay of carbon-14, a radioactive isotope absorbed by living things.
When an organism dies, it stops absorbing carbon-14, which decays at a known rate.
Scientists can calculate how long ago death occurred by measuring how much remains.
The technique works reliably for materials up to about 50,000 years old: Carbon dating placed the bones at 12,000 years old.
Also called radiocarbon dating.
Period for fifty-percent reduction
- beta decayRadioactive nucleon transformation process
- radioactive decayUnstable atoms releasing energy
- cosmic raysEnergetic particles from beyond
- radioisotopeUnstable atomic nucleus variant
neutron · proton · atomic mass · nucleus · decay rate · disintegration · beta particle
Before documented civilization
- paleolithicEarliest tool-making period
- neolithicFinal Stone Age period
- bronze ageNotable but subprime period
- antiquityGreat age, ancient era
cave painting · petroglyph · mummy · pyramid · megafauna · mastodon · ice age · quaternary
Act of unearthing
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- fossilsPreserved ancient organism traces
- potteryFired clay objects
- stratigraphyStudy of rock layers
site · dig · relics · ruins · settlements · ceramics · tools · burial
Adjusting for measurement accuracy
- measurementDetermining size or amount
- precisionAccuracy of measurement
- accuracyDegree of correctness
- sampleSubset for study
laboratory · spectrometry · contamination · preservation · error margin · background radiation · control sample · blind test
Dating via growth rings
- tree ringYearly growth layer
- potassium-argonIsotopic age-determination technique
- uranium-leadIsotopic age-determination method
- thermoluminescenceLight from heated irradiated material
ice core · sediment · geological timescale · chronology · sequence · correlation
half-life
Period for fifty-percent reduction
- beta decayRadioactive nucleon transformation process
- radioactive decayUnstable atoms releasing energy
- cosmic raysEnergetic particles from beyond
radioisotope · neutron · proton · atomic mass · nucleus · decay rate · disintegration · beta particle
prehistoric
Before documented civilization
- paleolithicEarliest tool-making period
- neolithicFinal Stone Age period
- bronze ageNotable but subprime period
antiquity · cave painting · petroglyph · mummy · pyramid · megafauna · mastodon · ice age · quaternary · paleoclimate
excavation
Act of unearthing
- artifactsHuman-made historical objects
- fossilsPreserved ancient organism traces
- potteryFired clay objects
stratigraphy · site · dig · relics · ruins · settlements · ceramics · tools · burial · remains
calibration
Adjusting for measurement accuracy
- measurementDetermining size or amount
- precisionAccuracy of measurement
- accuracyDegree of correctness
sample · laboratory · spectrometry · contamination · preservation · error margin · background radiation · control sample · blind test · reproducibility
dendrochronology
Dating via growth rings
- tree ringYearly growth layer
- potassium-argonIsotopic age-determination technique
- uranium-leadIsotopic age-determination method
thermoluminescence · ice core · sediment · geological timescale · chronology · sequence · correlation
- archaeology recordsfield notes, site plans, site maps, provenance records, burial records
- Asian PrehistoryPaleolithic, Bronze Age, Chalcolithic, hunter-gatherers, stone tools
- Dating Methodsgeochronology, thermoluminescence, luminescence, tephrochronology
- isotope methodsradioisotopes, radiotracers, radioactive tracers, tritium, radiochemistry
- isotope scienceradioisotopes, isotope geochemistry, oxygen-18, nitrogen-15, uranium-238
- Carbongraphite, diamond, diamonds, graphene, fullerene
dating, carbon, carbonize, hydrocarbon, bicarbonate, carbons, hydrocarbons, radiocarbon, carbonized