Geometry.Net - Science: Radiocarbon Dating

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School of Archaeology and Palaeoecology. Laboratories provide radiocarbon dating, dendrochronology and pollen analysis.
http://www.qub.ac.uk/arcpal/
Radiocarbon Dating
Chronological Methods 8 radiocarbon dating. Where does C -14 ComeFrom? radiocarbon dating relies on a simple natural phenomenon.
http://id-archserve.ucsb.edu/Anth3/Courseware/Chronology/08_Radiocarbon_Dating.h

Extractions: Chronological Methods 8 - Radiocarbon Dating Radiocarbon, or Carbon-14, dating is probably one of the most widely used and best known absolute dating methods. It was developed by J. R. Arnold and W. F. Libby in 1949, and has become an indispensable part of the archaeologist's tool kit since. It's development revolutionized archaeology by providing a means of dating deposits independent of artifacts and local stratigraphic sequences. This allowed for the establishment of world-wide chronologies. Where does C -14 Come From? Radiocarbon dating relies on a simple natural phenomenon. As the Earth's upper atmosphere is bombarded by cosmic radiation, atmospheric nitrogen is broken down into an unstable isotope of carbon - carbon 14 (C-14). Bombardment Reactions The unstable isotope is brought to Earth by atmospheric activity, such as storms, and becomes fixed in the biosphere. Because it reacts identically to C-12 and C-13, C-14 becomes attached to complex organic molecules through photosynthesis in plants and becomes part of their molecular makeup. Animals eating those plants in turn absorb Carbon-14 as well as the stable isotopes. This process of ingesting C-14 continues as long as the plant or animal remains alive. Diffusion Ingestion C-14 Decay Profile The C-14 within an organism is continually decaying into stable carbon isotopes, but since the organism is absorbing more C-14 during its life, the ratio of C-14 to C-12 remains about the same as the ratio in the atmosphere. When the organism dies, the ratio of C-14 within its carcass begins to gradually decrease. The rate of decrease is 1/2 the quantity at death every 5,730 years. That is the half-life of C-14. The animation provides an example of how this logarithmic decay occurs. Click on the "Show Movie" button below to view this animation.
Homepage Do Instituto Tecnológico E Nuclear.
The Cultural Heritage and Sciences research group provides radiocarbon dating and other laboratory analysis of historic and prehistoric artefacts.
http://www.itn.pt/English/en_index.html
SCIENCE AND STONEHENGE
English Heritage provide a summary of the results of radiocarbon dating; sales of the complete report.
http://www.eng-h.gov.uk/stoneh/

Extractions: Between 1993 and 1994 English Heritage funded a major archaeological project to reassess the results of the 20th century excavations at Stonehenge. The results of this project have been published in our monograph series. The full reference for this publication is: Cleal, R M J, Walker, K E, and Montague, R 1995 Stonehenge in its Landscape: the twentieth-century excavations, English Heritage Arch Rep, , London (ISBN 1 85074 6052; 640p, 295 illus, 26 colour plates) English Heritage Postal Sales, PO Box 229, Northampton, United Kingdom, NN6 9RY +44-1604-781163 (tel); +44-1064-781714 (fax) As part of the project the Ancient Monuments Laboratory of English Heritage mounted major programmes of geophysical survey and scientific dating. The main results of these programmes are presented here, along with technical details: Return To:
The Testimony Of Radiocarbon Dating
Previous Main The Testimony of radiocarbon dating. In 1952 Willard F. Libby,then of the University of Chicago, published his radiocarbon dating.
http://www.varchive.org/ce/tc14.htm

Extractions: Radiocarbon Dating In 1952 Willard F. Libby, then of the University of Chicago, published his Radiocarbon Dating. Worlds in Collision and Earth in Upheaval However, the main interest for me in radiocarbon tests was in checking on historical dates of the ancient East, of the period covered in Ages in Chaos. This method was as if created to sit in judgment in the litigation between the accepted and revised time tables. In Ages in Chaos we have seen that, with the fall of the Middle Kingdom and the Exodus synchronized, events in the histories of the peoples of the ancient world coincide all along the centuries. For a space of over one thousand years records of Egyptian history have been compared with the records of the Hebrews, Assyrians, Chaldeans, and finally with those of the Greeks, with a resulting correspondence which denotes synchronism. In Volume I of Ages in Chaos it was shown in great detail why Akhnaton of the Eighteenth Dynasty must be placed in the latter part of the ninth century. If Akhnaton flourished in -840 and not in -1380, the ceramics from Mycenae found in the palace of Akhnaton are younger by five or six hundred years than they are presumed to be, and the Late Mycenaean period would accordingly move forward by about half a thousand years on the scale of time. I wished to have radiocarbon tests that would clarify the issue. I did not need the test in order to strengthen my view on the age of the Eighteenth and the following dynasties, for I considered the evidence that I had presented in
SURRC: RADIOCARBON DATING LAB
Part of the Scottish Universities Research and Reactor Centre at Glasgow.
http://www.gla.ac.uk/Acad/SURRC/Rcl/index.html

Extractions: The Centre, including its radiocarbon dating unit, is primarily involved in environmental research, using both stable and radioactive isotopes. The original SURRC radiocarbon laboratory was set up under the direction of Dr Doug Harkness soon after the centre was founded in 1963. The laboratory was an immense success and in 1970, it moved to an adjacent building on site when its remit changed to that of a central facility for the UK's Natural Environment Research Council ( NERC ), providing dating support in the environmental sciences. A radiocarbon facility was restored at SURRC in 1986 when the Glasgow University Radiocarbon Laboratory, which had also been established in the early 1960s, was relocated at SURRC under the direction of Dr Gordon Cook . Currently, both the NERC and the SURRC Radiocarbon Dating Laboratories are administered by SURRC. The SURRC laboratory carries out a commercial radiocarbon dating service as well as fulfilling its research role within the Scottish university system. Currently, the laboratory is involved in a number of research projects including: The Biogeochemistry of Anthropogenic C in the Irish Sea Reconstructing the Historic C Discharge Patterns from Sellafield Deposition, Mixing and Storage Time-Scales in the Benthic Boundary Layer of Deep Ocean Sediments
Noort
The opening paragraphs of an article in Antiquity by Robert Van de Noort et al on the radiocarbon dating of a Bronze Age plank discovered in 1996 on the Yorkshire coast at Kilnsea.
http://intarch.ac.uk/antiquity/noort.html

Extractions: A single plank with integral cleats, recently discovered on the East Riding of Yorkshire coast at Kilnsea, has been identified as a fragment of a Bronze Age plank boat, and dated to 1870-1670 BC. This makes the 'Kilnsea-boat' England's oldest dated plank built boat. Key-words: Yorkshire, boat, Humber wetlands, Bronze Age Introduction A plank found by members of the Hull Natural History Society in September 1996 on the Kilnsea beach in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England (Figure 1) has been identified as a piece of a prehistoric boat. It was transported to the Hull and East Riding Museum in Hull, where analysis and dating of the plank were undertaken within the framework of the English Heritage commissioned Humber Wetlands Survey. Radiocarbon assay of the plank provided a date for the boat of 1870-1670 BC, which makes this the oldest dated plank-built boat fragment from England. Currently, the plank is under conservation at the York Archaeological Wood Centre the conservation process is anticipated to be completed in 1999, when it will be returned to Hull and East Riding Museum for display. This report presents the main elements of the analysis and context of the find, and considers some of the implications of its discovery for the debate on the function and use of Bronze Age plank boats. Context, description and dating of the 'Kilnsea-boat'
Radiocarbon Dating Of The Shroud Of Turin
radiocarbon dating of the Shroud of Turin. ** Date by convential radiocarbondating at the British Museum 2010 ± 80 yr. BP (MB 2558). Conclusions.
http://www.shroud.com/nature.htm

Extractions: Very small samples from the Shroud of Turin have been dated by accelerator mass spectrometry in laboratories at Arizona, Oxford and Zurich. As Controls, three samples whose ages had been determined independently were also dated. The results provide conclusive evidence that the linen of the Shroud of Turin is mediaeval. The Shroud of Turin , which many people believe was used to wrap Christ's body, bears detailed front and back images of a man who appears to have suffered whipping and crucifixion. It was first displayed at Lirey in France in the 1350s and subsequently passed into the hands of the Dukes of Savoy. After many journeys the shroud was finally brought to Turin in 1578 where, in 1694, it was placed in the royal chapel of Turin Cathedral in a specially designed shrine.
Radiocarbon Dating The Shroud. A Critical Statistical Analysis.
radiocarbon dating The Shroud. A Critical Statistical Analysis. The report Radiocarbondating the Turin Shroud , Damon et al, in Nature, (Vol.337, Nr.
http://www.shroud.com/vanhels3.htm

Extractions: The report "Radiocarbon dating the Turin Shroud", Damon et al, in Nature , (Vol.337, Nr. 6200 pages 611-615. 16 Feb. 1989) concludes: Table 1 (Only for the Shroud) Table 2 Ar. 591-+30 690-+35 606-+41 701-+33 Ox. 795-+65 730-+45 745-+55 Zu. 733-+61 722-+56 635-+57 639-+45 679-+51 * = Weighted mean ' = Unweighted mean. X %SL. = 5 The reason for a statistical analysis of radiocarbon dates, is the FACT that, theoretically, no experimental result is absolute, and to some extent, subject to chance error. Even an EXACT measurement is still due, to some extent, to chance. Statistical analysis enables the analyst, to determine, with a pre-determined degree of confidence, (here claimed to be at least 95% ) the degree of variations which are due to chance and to known and unknown influences. When applying statistical tests, caution should be observed with data suspected of appreciably differing from a normal distribution. Examples of distributions:
Radiocarbon Project
Pyramids radiocarbon dating Project. Dr. Robert Wenke and John Nolancollecting samples from Menkaure. The Pyramids radiocarbon dating
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~aera/Giza_Pages/Radiocarbon_Pages/Radiocarbon.html

Extractions: Dr. Robert Wenke and John Nolan collecting samples from Menkaure The Pyramids Radiocarbon Dating Project set out in 1984 to establish a new and internally consistent set of radiocarbon dates for some of the important pyramids and associated monuments of the Third to Sixth Dynasties. Before this project, most radiocarbon dates from Egypt had come from movable objects like sarcophagi, mummies and grave ornaments - objects whose removal from their original context, or whose treatment since their removal, cast some doubt on the final radiocarbon dates. For this reason, great care was taken to collect only organic material embedded in the original construction of the Old Kingdom monuments. The colossal pyramids and their associated temples and tombs were not just pristine funerary complexes. They were also large-scale construction sites, with people working, cooking and living around and on top of them as they were being erected. Much of the debris from this activity was incorporated - often unintentionally - into the fabric of the pyramids, and can still be seen in the mortar and crevices. With this in mind, 80 samples of this organic material were collected in 1984 and 64 of them yielded results. Since 8 samples were large enough to be dated twice - once at Southern Methodist University, and once at Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule (ETH) in Zurich - this first round of dating produced a grand total of 72 dates.
The OCR Carbon Dating Home Page
Oxidizable carbon ratio dating for carbonbased items from 1 year to 35000 years old. This laboratory Category Science Social Sciences radiocarbon datingText Only Version of the OCR Carbon Dating Site. A Brief Introduction to theOCR Procedure for Dating Archaeological Features. OCR Carbon Dating, Inc.
http://members.aol.com/dsfrink/ocr/ocrpage.htm

Extractions: [Text Only Version of the OCR Carbon Dating Site] The biological recycling of organic carbon is fundamental to nearly all biological systems on this planet. While some forms of organic carbon, such as fresh organic matter, are quickly recycled, other more resistant forms, such as humus and charcoal, are recycled at a much slower rate. The effect of the biochemical degradation of charcoal and soil humic material can be measured by the ratio of the total carbon to the readily oxidizable carbon in the sample. This ratio is called the O xidizable C arbon R atio, or OCR . The rate of biochemical degradation of the relatively stable forms of organic matter varies within the specific physical and environmental contexts of the sample. To determine an age for the carbon sample, a systems formula was designed to account for the biological influences of oxygen, moisture, temperature, and the media's (soil) reactivity. These variables are measured by soil texture, depth below the soil surface, the site specific mean annual temperature and rainfall, and the soil pH. Residual influences on this system are included through a statistically derived constant.
Rafter Radiocarbon Laboratory Home Page
At the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, New Zealand, provides radiocarbon dating services to international scientific, academic, and art/antiquities clients.
http://www.RafterRadiocarbon.co.nz
The 1988 Shroud Of Turin Radiocarbon Tests Reconsidered
Table 1. radiocarbon dating results by Laboratory. 1. Jull, AJT, and others, Radiocarbondating of the Shroud of Turin, Nature, 337, 611615, 16 February 1989.
http://members.aol.com/turin99/radiocarbon-a.htm

Extractions: The 1988 Shroud of Turin Radiocarbon Tests Reconsidered Bryan J Walsh Shroud of Turin Center Richmond Virginia USA The radiocarbon dating performed on the Shroud of Turin in 1988 by laboratories located in Oxford, Tucson and Zurich concluded with a 95% probability that the linen cloth of the Shroud of Turin dated from between 1260 - 1390AD. A re-analysis of the data used to derive this range of dates suggests that the statistical tests performed earlier assumed C homogeneity in the samples and as a result may have lead to a misleading range of dates. A different series of statistical evaluations has been applied to this radiocarbon date data leading to the conclusion that the Shroud subsamples each contained differing levels of C. An evaluation of this conclusion was conducted and found to be statistically supportable. Further analysis revealed that the sample dates observed were directly related to the physical location of the sample on the Shroud linen. This necessarily implies that the linen samples were non-homogeneous as regards C and the radiocarbon date derived for the Shroud samples are of questionable validity. The hypothesis of a relationship between the sample location on the Shroud cloth and the date measured was evaluated and found to be statistically significant
Beta Analytic - World's Largest Radiocarbon Dating Service; AMS, Mass Spectromet
Professional radiocarbon dating service.
http://www.radiocarbon.com/Default.htm

Extractions: Full-Time Professional Staff The professional staff has a combined knowledge of more than 140 years in radiocarbon dating. All technicians are full time personnel who give your samples undivided attention, without the distraction of personal research, teaching, or administrative duties. Each staff member is committed to providing you with the highest degree of analytical quality for each and every sample. Someone is always available to discuss your sample requirements, give you advice on how to proceed, and to discuss results. BETA does not analyze samples with students or part-time researchers who would necessarily be distracted with other obligations and priorities. We Promise Results Within 2-30 Working Days Delivery times are maintained while upholding research standards of analytical quality
Radiocarbon Dating
radiocarbon dating. The famous Turin shroud was found to be a medieval artefactfrom radiocarbon dating. Return to Homepage. Return to top of page.
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~freya01/carbon14.htm

Extractions: Radiocarbon Dating Cosmic radiation constantly bombards atoms in the upper atmosphere and splits them up into their components. Nitrogen atoms colliding with neutrons formed in this way can undergo a radioactive transformation into carbon-14: The atoms of carbon-14 formed formed in this process are converted into radioactive molecules of carbon dioxide, which dissipate throughout the atmosphere. As with normal carbon-12 carbon dioxide, these molecules are absorbed by plants, and as a result the carbon-14 is incorporated into them. The plants are eaten by animals and so all living things, plants or animals, will contain a small amount of radioactive carbon-14. Carbon-14 slowly decays to nitrogen in a second radioactive process:: There is a constant level of carbon-14 present in all living things, which is brought about by the equilibrium established between the absorption of the carbon-14 and its natural decay. This value is very low, but is detectable either from radioactivity measurements or from mass spectrometry. When a plant or an animal dies, it stops absorbing carbon-14 and so the amount present slowly decreases due to radioactive decay. The half life of carbon-14 is approximately 5 600 years, and so the level of radioactivity drops to half its original value in this time. The degree to which this radioactivity has fallen is used to estimate the age (or at least the time since death) of the animal or plant. The famous Turin shroud was found to be a medieval artefact from radiocarbon dating
Radiocarbon Dating Services At Ukraine. Ðàäèîóãëåðîä.
Similar pages radiocarbon datingradiocarbon dating. This method of scientific dating is used for sampleswhich were once alive (eg in bone, charcoal, leather). All
http://www.ldc.net/~mbuz/c14.htm

Extractions: Partners Home Principles Quality Sizes ... Russian Radiocarbon Dating Service Wellcome !!! Welcome to the homepage of Radiocarbon Dating Service Unit, Laboratory of Radiation Hygiene Monitoring of Marzeev Institute of Hygiene and Medical Ecology located at Kiev, Ukraine. It is fully-equipped radiocarbon laboratory, specialising in conventional and high-precision dating. Modern LSC-based conventional method applied for radiocarbon investigation in RCRM since 1993. LS measurements were performed utilizing LSC-spectrometer Quantulus 1220 TM , produced by Wallac Oy. Teflon vials shaped 7 ml, 3 ml, 0,8 ml allow optimize LS counting performance for benzene samples of different mass. We have done hundreds radiocarbon analyses for our researches and some for commercial investigations. We would like to discuss a radiocarbon projects and other radioisotope research programmes especially from early stage of planning. If you would like discuss any ideas, please send your inquiry to Dr. Michael Buzinny
Physical Geography: Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory
RADIOCARBON LABORATORY Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich, Switzerland. The RadiocarbonLaboratory at the University of Zurich has been running since 1975.
http://www.geo.unizh.ch/c14/

Extractions: Contents of this page General Information The Radiocarbon Laboratory at the University of Zurich has been running since 1975. It was founded by Dr. W.A. Keller and Prof. G. Furrer of the Physical Geography Division . Dr. Keller is still the head of the laboratory service and uses his many years of experience in geomorphology to help the customer with the interpretation of the results. back to the contents Measurement methods Conventional Liquid Scintillation Counting (LSC) The laboratory determines the C activity of benzene (prepared from the sample) through the measurement of its beta-decay. The benzene is produced as follows: carbon dioxide, obtained by burning the sample, reacts with metallic lithium to form lithium carbide. The lithium carbide is hydrolysed to acetylene which is subseqently converted to benzene by catalytic trimerisation. A small amount of carbon dioxide is taken during the above process to enable the measurement of the stable isotope ratio C / C. Scintillation counting results are statistically analysed and reported as conventional radiocarbon ages corrected with
NOVA Online | Mystery Of The First Americans | The Dating Game
Bone up on the topic below. The Dating Game by Rick Groleau So what's thestory behind radiocarbon dating? It's not a love story, to be sure.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/first/radiocarbon.html
A Science Odyssey: People And Discoveries: Libby Introduces Radiocarbon Dating
Libby introduces radiocarbon dating 1947 In 1940 Martin Kamen discoveredradioactive carbon14 (an isotope of carbon) and found
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/do47ra.html

Extractions: In 1940 Martin Kamen discovered radioactive carbon-14 (an isotope of carbon) and found that it had a half-life of about 5,700 years. Scientists had also found that some of the nitrogen in the atmosphere was turned into carbon-14 when hit with cosmic rays. Thus, an equilibrium was reached, the newly formed carbon-14 replacing the carbon-14 that decayed, so that there was always a small amount in the atmosphere. In 1947 American chemist Willard Libby (1908-1980) figured that plants would absorb some of this trace carbon-14 while they absorbed ordinary carbon in photosynthesis. Once the plant died, of course, it couldn't absorb any more carbon of any kind, and the carbon-14 it contained would decay at its usual rate without being replaced. By finding the concentration of carbon-14 left in the remains of a plant, you could calculate the amount of time since the plant had died. With this technique scientists could determine the age of plant-based artifacts wood, parchment, textiles up to 45,000 years old. This has allowed estimates of the age of Egyptian mummies, prehistoric dwellings, and so forth. For his work on carbon-14 dating, Libby received the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1960.
Radiocarbon Dating
radiocarbon dating. What can be dated? For radiocarbon dating to be possible,the material must once have been part of a living organism.
http://www.rlaha.ox.ac.uk/orau/01_02.htm

Extractions: For radiocarbon dating to be possible, the material must once have been part of a living organism. This means that things like stone, metal and pottery cannot usually be directly dated by this means unless there is some organic material embedded or left as a residue. Common materials for radiocarbon dating are: As explained below, the radiocarbon date tells us when the organism was alive (not when the material was used). This fact should always be remembered when using radiocarbon dates. Common materials for radiocarbon dating are: material organism event dated bone animal last few years of the animal's life wood tree growth of the tree ring charcoal linen flax plant growth of the flax wool sheep year of sheering parchment animal year of death of animal The radiocarbon formed in the upper atmosphere is mostly in the form of carbon dioxide. This is taken up by plants through photosynthesis. Because the carbon present in a plant comes from the atmosphere in this way, the radio of radiocarbon to stable carbon in the plant is virtually the same as that in the atmosphere. Plant eating animals (herbivores and omnivores) get their carbon by eating plants. All animals in the food chain, including carnivores, get their carbon indirectly from plant material, even if it is by eating animals which themselves eat plants. The net effect of this is that all living organisms have the same radiocarbon to stable carbon ratio as the atmosphere.

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