Carbon-14 Part 1: Basic Information

Mmmmm...Earth...

This week, we will have a three-part series on Carbon-14 dating. This first part gives an overview of the basics: How Carbon-14 forms, is absorbed, is depleted as well as the determining the rate of decay. Then the way it is used for dating is discussed.

Many people assume that rocks are dated at “millions of years” based on radiocarbon (carbon-14) dating. But that’s not the case. The reason is simple. Carbon-14 can yield dates of only “thousands of years” before it all breaks down.

The most well-known of all the radiometric dating methods is radiocarbon dating. Although many people think radiocarbon dating is used to date rocks, it is limited to dating things that contain the element carbon and were once alive (like fossils).

This is a good start, but to read the rest of "Carbon-14 Dating — Understanding the Basics", click here. Part 2 is here.