Can you carbon date stone material?

Question

What materials can undergo carbon dating? How are monuments such as Stonehenge in England dated?

Answer 1

The stone material would have to have either Carbon in its structure (like a Carbonate) or coated with ash or soot containing Carbon to be dated.

With Stonehenge, it is not the age of the stone which is important, but the age of the site. Burnt wood and other means have been used to date the structure.

Answer 2

Carbon Dating Stone

Answer 3

Carbon 14 appies only to organic material, it had to once been living tissue.
As for Stonehenge, subtle clues like erosion of exposed surfaces can be used, although not terribly accurate. Usually, non-organic material can be dated by association with organic artifacts found nearby, like a piece of wood that was used to raise the stones, which is the case for some pillars left in ground. Also, any digging around the site to allow the stones to be moved around would disturb the top soil to a certain depth, and only the layers of top soil that were added afterwards would match those of the undisturbed terrain, providing clues to the age of the site.

The attached link will provide more info.

Answer 4

Only organic remnants of once-living organisms can be carbon dated because the C-14 that is tested for is replenished in the organisms while they are alive. But once they die, it is no longer replenished and the C-14 decays. By measuring the amount of decay, the age can be determined. So, no, you can't Carbon date stone.

Monuments like Stonehenge are dated using other means.

Answer 5

To carbon date an ancient object, it must be made of a carbon substance. Things like Stonehenge requires other means that I don't know much about, so I'll shut up now.