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by Abbyguy on February 21st, 2007

Abbyguy

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Is Carbon dating accurate?

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Answers. 6 helpful answers below.

  • by Friartuck on February 21st, 2007

    Friartuck

    Carbon dating is apparently quite accurate up to around 50,000 years - after which the ratio of Carbon to Carbon 14 becomes too small to detect (currently).
    Plenty of work has been done refining the procedure over the years. There are various anomalies to cater for.

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  • by radiofan92 on February 21st, 2007

    radiofan92

    For the most part, yes.

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  • by Valkyr on November 25th, 2009

    Valkyr

    No it's not. Here are some interesting facts that discovery channel nor scientific magazines will publish.

    Living penguins have been carbon dated and the results said they died 8,000 years ago. The shells of living mollusks have been carbon 14 dated, the results said they had been dead for 23,000 years. A Allosaurus fossil was carbon dated, the results said it died 16,120 years ago, when the Allosaurus was supposed to be around 140 million years old.

    Dating methods are based on 3 unprovable and questionable assumptions

    1)That the rate of decay has been constant throughout time.

    2)That the isotope abundance in the specimen dated have not been altered its history by addition or removal of either parent or daughter isotope.

    3)That when the rock first formed it contained a known amount of daughter material.

    So in actuality, no one knows how old anything is, this Earth may be younger than we though, it may be older. It just angers me that scientists will date things with such conviction when they know that the information is not credible.

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  • by lincoln on February 21st, 2007

    lincoln

    I would have to say no. However accurate in my mind is basically spot on, Carbon dating can be hundreds of years out, even thousands.

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  • by Anonymous on February 21st, 2007

    Anonymous

    It better be for what they charge to do it!

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  • by Sunblynd 5.0 on February 21st, 2007

    Sunblynd 5.0

    For the most part, no. Read this, it has everything you need to know on Radio Carbon 14 dating; http://contenderministries.org/evolution/carbon14.php


    I know it's a site to a religious link, which is unlike me to do, but it does depict the inaccuracy's of radio carbon 14 dating.

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