Radiokarbondatesítés

Radiokarbondatesítés, also known as radiocarbon dating or carbon-14 dating, is a scientific method used to determine the age of organic materials. This technique relies on the decay of the radioactive isotope carbon-14 (¹⁴C). Living organisms constantly exchange carbon with their environment, including atmospheric carbon dioxide, which contains a small but consistent amount of ¹⁴C. When an organism dies, this exchange ceases, and the ¹⁴C within its tissues begins to decay at a known rate.

The decay rate of ¹⁴C is characterized by its half-life, which is approximately 5,730 years. This means that after 5,730 years, half of the original ¹⁴C in a sample will have decayed. By measuring the remaining amount of ¹⁴C in an organic sample and comparing it to the expected initial amount, scientists can calculate how much time has passed since the organism's death.

Radiocarbon dating is most effective for dating materials up to around 50,000 years old. Beyond this age, the amount of ¹⁴C remaining becomes too small to measure accurately. The method is widely used in archaeology, paleontology, and geology to date fossils, ancient artifacts, and geological formations containing organic remains. Calibration curves are used to correct for variations in atmospheric ¹⁴C levels over time, improving the accuracy of the dates obtained.