I found a fossil in a rock, the rock is about 25' deep in the earth and i dug it up. I have the rock and it has seashell inprints all over it. I scratched out a soft spot of clay in it and a small shiney black clawlike piece came out. It looks like a cats claw that is straight and is about a half an inch long.
2007-12-25 12:48:32 · 9 answers · asked by linktoterry 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
Uranium-lead, potassium-argon and other forms of radiometric dating are used to date rocks older than a few 10's of thousands of years old. Only certain rocks can be dated in this way and it is very unlikely that the rock you have will be one of them. However, based on the fossils or local geologic features of the rock, it may be possible to correlate your rock to other rocks that have been radiometrically dated.
A local geologist or paleontologist is will be able to give you the most information. But if you can post a picture somewhere or give a more detailed description of the fossils, I might be able to tell you what they are and give a broad possible age range.
2007-12-26 01:32:54 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
nicely in reality, carbon 14 decays at a predictable fee. Scientists can degree how long the carbon 14 in a definite merchandise has been decaying for, and for this reason they are able to looking out how previous that merchandise is. the cost of deterioration slows over the years, which makes it much less useful for older products. Carbon 14 relationship is precise to someplace between 40 and sixty thousand years. for this reason it rather is no longer used to date fossils that are considered older than that, it rather is why this hardship-unfastened creationist argument is absolute bullshit. Carbon relationship is in basic terms no longer used to date something thousands and thousands of years previous. Older fossils, to boot as rocks, could nicely be dated employing different concepts.
2016-10-02 08:28:00 · answer #2 · answered by starkes 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You might be looking at a tooth from an ancient marine predator. If it is truly a marine fossil, it is millions of years old and NOT subject to carbon 14 dating. It would be dated by paleontologists based on the layer in which it was found. It is likely that you could get a good answer by going on line with a good photo.
BTW, carbon 14 dating does NOT measure the amount of carbon left in a formerly living object. It measures the ratio of carbon 14 to carbon 12, a ratio that is constant in living plants and animals, but slowly degrades to 100% C12 and 0% C14 after the plant or animal dies. That is because C14 is created in the atmosphere by cosmic rays and is then taken up by plants. C14 decays to C12 but the total amount of carbon in the fossil does not change.
2007-12-25 16:26:12 · answer #3 · answered by MVB 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you found a fossil 25' deep in the earth, then carbon dating will probably be worthless as the fossil is older than the time scale of accuracy for carbon dating. Taking it to a university biology department or consulting a paleontologist is probably the best course of action.
2007-12-25 12:59:16 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Find the name of the formation where you collected it then look it up on a geologic map.
the legend ought to give a list of index fossils which you can then search for in books of index fossils, arrange a consultation with a university and if distant suggest a digital photo from all angles possible to e-mail to them for identification. Be able to describe the rock type where found.
Sounds like an ammonite.
2007-12-26 19:02:55 · answer #5 · answered by klby 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Carbon dating only works on things less than about 50,000 years old. Take it to the local university and the paleo department can give you a relative age based on the types of fossils.
2007-12-25 13:26:55 · answer #6 · answered by Lady Geologist 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You usually can't do carbon-14 dating on a fossil.
Radiocarbon (C-14) is only found in organic tissue...most fossils do not have much, if any, of the original tissue left, having been replaced by mineralization.
And...radiocarbon dating can only be done for items of ages less than 50,000 years.
2007-12-26 07:41:29 · answer #7 · answered by Wayner 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Carbon dating is seeing how much carbon is left in the fossil. the older it is, the less. carbon is in all living organisms, and it gets disintegrated. There are probably some labs relatively close by where it can be done.
2007-12-25 12:52:52 · answer #8 · answered by Kota W 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Take it to any University. they could tell you way more than most people on here.
2007-12-25 12:53:14 · answer #9 · answered by Rob B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋