Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: TH
Context: Radiocarbon dating is a scientific method that utilizes the isotope carbon-14 to determine the age of organic materials.
- Carbon-14 is created in the Earth’s atmosphere when cosmic rays interact with nitrogen-14 atoms, producing carbon-14.
- This isotope enters the food chain through plants, animals, and other biomass.
How Radiocarbon Dating works:
- The process involves measuring the remaining amount of carbon-14 in an organic sample.
- While the organism is alive, it constantly exchanges carbon with its surroundings.
- When it dies, this exchange stops, and the concentration of carbon-14 in the body decreases over time due to radioactive decay.
- By measuring the remaining carbon-14, scientists can estimate the time since the organism’s death.
The advent of radiocarbon dating is considered a revolution in archaeology and geology, providing an objective and numerical dating method for organic remains.
