like how they say some fossils are 19million years old or something. it seems to me that they just make it all up
2007-02-26 23:58:59 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
Carbon dating will only go back a few tens of thousands of years because the half life of C14 is only 5730 years.
Carbon dating is not inherently very reliable because it depends on the amount of C14 in the environment at the time an animal or plant lived, which varies over time. However, it can be calibrated by comparing it to specimens whose age is know from other sources.
This means that for dates going back to say 5000 years is is actually very, very accurate.
2007-02-27 00:24:40 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
A study was done comparing the age of a tree using Carbon-14 Dating and tree rings. The tree rings showed about 5% error to C-14, and that the tree was older than the C-14 date reported. As or using C-14 dating on fossils aged 19 million years, it can't be done. C-14 dating is good only in the tens of thousands of years, certainly not the millions of years. By the way, a 5% error in science is not bad.
2007-02-27 03:14:05 · answer #2 · answered by Amphibolite 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Um you need to read up on radioactive dating techniques. No scientist would knowingly use radiocarbon dating to estimate the age of something around 19 million years old.
You would have to use a different method which has a longer half-life.
2007-02-27 00:14:57 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Carbon dating doesn't go back very far, maybe 50,000 years max. Older dating comes from other radioactive isotopes, magnetic field measurements and other methods.
It can be verified by cross referencing live and dead tree ring records going back thousands of years.
2007-02-27 00:14:09 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
They don't just make it up. It all has to do with the decay rate of Carbon 14, which is in everything, and which decays at a predictible rate and can be measured.
2007-02-27 00:03:12 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
The worst thing about this question is that you are in Australia.
No, we don't just make it all up. Idiot.
2007-02-27 01:42:50 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
its like most bible stories these new editions, they make it up as they go along
2007-02-27 00:01:09 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋