The Science of Radiocarbon Dating

The Science of Radiocarbon Dating

When we think of history, we think of important people, places, cultures, events, and much more. The backbone of history rests on its chronology. It gives us the "when" of basic analysis. It gives us a frame of reference, the order of things. Before having an "absolute" way of determining dates, history was based in guesses and assumptions. Many attempts were made to organize the dates of the past. Some of these attempts were made by geologist. Geologist used the idea of "stratigraphic succession" (Renfrew, 1973) which is based on the "principle that when successive layers or strata are observed in position, the underlying ones are the earliest." (Pg. 23 Renfrew, 1973) By setting the layers in chronological order, it only gave a sequence not a real date. Another method that geologist used in order to date, was the measuring of sediment deposit. They measured the rate at which sediment forms at the bottom of lakes; nevertheless, this method was unsuccessful because it relied in the assumption that the rate of sediment deposit is a constant. It is not. (Renfrew, 1973)

The most famous ways to date has been the Three Age System, which divides prehistory in the three ages that we have come to know as the stone, bronze and iron ages. Eventhough this method is still used today, it only gives approximations, no absolute dates. (Renfrew, 1973) There were other attempts to absolute date, but they all were still based in approximation, no real dates. This made the past seem like a fog of facts and assumptions. Willard F. Libby, and a team of scientist from the University of Chicago, developed a method of dating to clear up the "fog" that made up our history. Libby’s method was Radiocarbon dat...

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...The uses of radiocarbon dating are many, this allows its use to affect many different fields of science including hydrology, atmospheric science, oceanography, geology, paleoclimatology, archaeology, biomedicine, and many much more. Radiocarbon dating proved to be one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century. This is all due to Libby and his associates; in thanks for this achievement, Libby was awarded the Nobel Prize in Science in 1960. (Bowman, 1990)

Bibliography:

Bibliography

Bowman, S. (1990) Radiocarbon Dating. London: British Museum Pub.

Libby, W. F. (1955) Radiocarbon Dating. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

"Radiocarbon Dating of the Shroud of Turin". (1989, February 16). Nature, 337, (6208). 611-615.

Renfrew, C. (1973). Before Civilization: the Radiocarbon Revolution and Prehistoric Europe. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.