Carbon Dating Method

Tags:
GS-III
S&T
S&T

Carbon Dating Method

The District Court in Varanasi allowed a petition seeking Carbon Dating of the structure inside the Gyanvapi mosque that the Hindu side has claimed is a ‘Shivling’.

What is Carbon dating?

It is a widely-used method applied to establish the age of organic material, things that were once living.
Living things have carbon in them in various forms.
The dating method makes use of the fact that a particular isotope of carbon called C-14, with an atomic mass of 14, is radioactive, and decays at a rate that is well known.
The most abundant isotope of carbon in the atmosphere is carbon-12 or a carbon atom whose atomic mass is 12.
A very small amount of carbon-14 is also present.

Process :

Plants get their carbon through the process of photosynthesis, while animals get it mainly through food. Because plants and animals get their carbon from the atmosphere, they too acquire carbon-12 and carbon-14 isotopes in roughly the same proportion as is available in the atmosphere.
When they die, the interactions with the atmosphere stop.
Now, carbon-12 is stable and does not decay, while carbon-14 is radioactive. Carbon-14 reduces to one-half of itself in about 5,730 years.
This is what is known as its ‘half-life’.
So, after a plant or animal dies, the ratio of carbon-12 to carbon-14 in the body, or its remains, begins to change.
This change can be measured and can be used to deduce the approximate time when the organism died.

Application

Though extremely effective, carbon dating cannot be applied in all circumstances.
Specifically, it cannot be used to determine the age of non-living things, like rocks, for example. Also, the age of things that are more than 40,000-50,000 years cannot be arrived at through carbon dating.
There are other methods to calculate the age of inanimate things, but carbon dating can also be used in an indirect way in certain circumstances. For example, the age of the ice cores in glaciers and polar regions is determined using carbon dating by studying the carbon dioxide molecules trapped inside large ice sheets.

Source: The Indian Express

Join Our Telegram

Anti-Defection Law in India

Anti-Defection Law in India

18 Mar, 26
SHARE

The Supreme Court of India recently gave a final three-week deadline to the Telangana Assembly Speaker to decide pending disqualification petitions against defecting MLAs under the Anti-Defection Law. What is the Anti-Defection Law? The Anti-Defection Law was introduced through the 52nd Amendment (1985), which added the Tenth Schedule to the

Rat-Hole Mining

18 Mar, 26
SHARE

A major disaster unfolded in East Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya, when at least 18 workers died following an explosion in an illegally operating rat-hole coal mine. This incident highlights the continued prevalence of rat-hole mining despite bans imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Supreme Court of India. Rat-hole mining is driven

India’s Aviation Sector

17 Mar, 26
SHARE

India’s aviation sector has grown rapidly, becoming a major economic success story. However, regulatory oversight has not evolved at the same pace. Data-driven monitoring of fares and market behavior is essential to ensure fair competition, prevent market abuse, and shift from reactive crisis management to proactive regulation. Challen

Federalism in India

14 Mar, 26
SHARE

Recently, a high-level committee on Union–State relations submitted its first report to the Government of Tamil Nadu. The report examines the distribution of powers and responsibilities between the Union and the States, highlighting ongoing debates regarding the balance between central authority and state autonomy. This discussion is clos

India–UAE Economic Partnership

14 Mar, 26
SHARE

The relationship between India and the United Arab Emirates has evolved from a traditional energy-based partnership into a comprehensive economic and strategic relationship. Over the years, strong political trust, growing trade, and expanding investments have transformed bilateral ties into a diversified economic corridor. The economic partnership