Background: Radiocarbon dating of materials is a radiometric dating technique that uses the decay of carbon-14 (14C) to estimate the age of organic materials, such as paper and parchment. These include the main stable isotope (12C) and an unstable isotope (14C).
For young organic materials, the carbon-14 (radiocarbon) method is used. The effective dating range of the carbon-14 method is between 100 and 50,000 years .Radiometric Age Dating.Original elementUranium-235Decay productLead-207Half-life (years)704 millionDated materialsZircon5 more columns•Oct 3, 2018
What materials can be dated using radiometric dating?
Some minerals in rocks and organic matter (e.g., wood, bones, and shells) can contain radioactive isotopes. The abundances of parent and daughter isotopes in a sample can be measured and used to determine their age. This method is known as radiometric dating.
Which dating technique is most appropriate for use on organic materials?
Radiocarbon dating One of the most widely used and well-known absolute dating techniques is carbon-14 (or radiocarbon) dating, which is used to date organic remains. This is a radiometric technique, since it is based on radioactive decay.