2007-05-27 16:11:49 · 8 answers · asked by simalloy 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
No.
Carbon dating can only be applied to objects that consist of matter that was once living. (humans, trees, animals).
It is only accurate for a time period of about 50,000 years, except that there is one special test that can date objects back to about 100,000 years.
2007-05-27 16:29:11 · answer #1 · answered by gatorbait 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"Carbon dating" is a slang expression for what is called "radiocarbon dating," or "radioactive carbon dating."
These terms refer to a process of estimating the ages of inert organic materials up to several hundred thousand years old. Radiocarbon dating is a very useful tool, and it is quite accurate, though with some limitations in precision, which are of no consequence when determining the death date of formerly living materials on a scale of tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of years.
Radiocarbon dating is accurate without a need for "something to compare with," because the time taken by the radioactive decay of carbon isotopes is quite well known.
We know that the earth is about 4.5 billion years old (4,500,000,000 years) because we can easily trace the sequence in which the materials (rocks) of which the earth is composed were formed, and we know how long each material required to form.
None of these age figures can legitimately be brought into question except by losers that are afraid of reality.
2007-05-27 23:37:18 · answer #2 · answered by aviophage 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Carbon dating it only good back to about 50,000 years due to the comparatively short half-life of Carbon-14. It has been correlated with great success against tree-ring, ice core and varve dates. For older dating Potassium-Argon, Uranium-Lead or Rubidium-Strontium dating is used. These methods can only be used against igneous rocks since the melting process "resets" the clocks contained in these minerals. Sedimentary rocks must be dated against hard dates obtained through surrounding igneous rock. The oldest rocks that have "hard" dates are almost 4 billion years old.
2007-05-31 21:14:04 · answer #3 · answered by varithus 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No; carbon dating is only good for a few tens of thousands of years. But radiometric dating using other isotopes DOES prove it -- beyond the slightest doubt.
Previous response is absolutely incorrect. The decay of C-14 has been correlated with tree ring data going back over five thousand years, so carbon dating is correct to within measurement error -- typically better than one percent.
2007-05-27 23:26:42 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
As one poster already said radiocarbon dating is only good to about 50-100 thousand years...not useful for older rocks. There are many other radioisotopes that are used for dating older rock.
2007-05-28 11:07:06 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Carbon dating is useless because we have nothing comparative.If we had something we knew for certain was a specific age,we could use that as a beginning.But if you go prior to recorded history,there is no absolute to use as a comparitive.
2007-05-27 23:23:55 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
If you go around dating carbons you'll never get the right answer.
2007-05-27 23:14:54 · answer #7 · answered by Charles H 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
nope. absolutely useless
2007-05-28 00:22:54 · answer #8 · answered by D.C. 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋