[Ahmabeliever]

Hi - Is Carbon Dating Indisputable?

I do not have anywhere near enough knowledge to answer this question for myself.

There are so many studies and sciences using carbon dating to back their theories and findings. So, what I want to know is, how good is carbon dating, am I reading a whole lot of science and evolutionary theory based on a method that isn't absolute.

Your thoughts and opinions will be most appreciated.

[Janus]

Carbon dating can be accurate to within about 450 years over a dating period of 62,000 years. It is more accurate for shorter time periods. Any carbon dating will include its margin of error.

Carbon dating is not used, in the most part, for dating fossils, as that 62,000 yr range is about its maximum. For fossils, other dating methods are used, including different radioisotopes. But neither is just one dating method is used, several independent methods are used to insure accuracy.

[UncleAl]

Carbon dating must be calibrated against tree rings (dendrology), coral rings, or other life-deposited carbon of known date. Production of C-14 arises from comic ray spallation of atmospheric atoms freeing fast neutrons, then N-14(n,p)C-14. Cosmic ray flux varies over time. Atmospheric thermonuclear testing, ~1950 to the Test Ban Treaty, inserted a big C-14 spike - a pound of multiple-MeV neutrons loosed/megatonne yield.

C-14 decay rate is inert to external phyiscal influences other than time. Sample contamination with contemporary carbon or fossil carbon ruins the date. Accelerator mass spectrometry made C-14 dating much more accurate by detecting C-12/C-14 atom ratio not C-14 decays.

[Ahmabeliever]

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question folks.

Now I've got to go look at radioisotopes. Might be back with more questions...