Shroud of Turin for Journalists - Carbon Dating Mistakes, Etc.
: Carbon 14 Dating
the Shroud of Turin
What is Carbon 14 Dating?
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Carbon 14 Dating the
Shroud of Turin
Carbon 14 dating is a scientific method for measuring the age of material
that has a biological origin such as bones, cloth made from natural fibers, artifacts made of wood, and charcoal.
All plants and animals contain three types of carbon isotopes. The most common isotope is carbon 12. It accounts for roughly 99% of all the carbon atoms found in a plant or animal. Another isotope is carbon 13,
It comprises about 1% of the total. The third isotope is rare but always
present: carbon 14. It is found in only small amounts compared to carbon 12. In a living plant or animal there is only about one carbon 14 atom for every trillion carbon 12 atoms.
Carbon (C12, C13 and C14) is acquired by plants from carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Animals get carbon by breathing in carbon dioxide and by ingesting other animals
and vegetation. As a result all living things have a specific ratio of carbon 12 and carbon 14
isotopes. Generally speaking, it is the same ratio found in the atmosphere.
The ratio begins to change when a plant or animal dies and it is no longer
taking on carbon. Carbon 14, unlike carbon 12 and carbon 13, is radioactive;
meaning that over time the carbon 14 atoms will decay. When the isotope carbon 14 decays it gives off a beta particle and in doing so becomes nitrogen 14. The amount of carbon 12 and carbon 13, however, remains constant.
The half-life of different isotopes range from fractions of a second to millions of years. The half-life of carbon 14 is 5730 years. This means that in 5730 years, half of the carbon 14
isotopes will have become nitrogen 14. In the subsequent 5730 years, half of the remaining carbon 14 will have decayed
Since we are able to measure the percentage of carbon 14 that remains in a
sample, we can determine its age. The sample may be from a human bone, an
animal antler, a piece of line made from flax fibers, a wooden tool or
charcoal from an ancient fire. All of these things were once part of
something once living. Two Methods Used
for Radiocarbon Dating
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