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Understanding Carbon-14
Dating
Mike Riddle
Institute for Creation Research
www.icr.org
Background
Information: Atoms and Stuff
- Fundamental
unit of matter
- Made
of subatomic particles (protons, neutrons and electrons)
- What
is carbon?
- Unstable
isotopes
Losing
Your Identity: Radioactive Decay
- The
nucleus of an atom changes
- The
proton/neutron number can change
- Carbon-14
and half-life
- The
rate of decay is measured by how long it takes for half an element to
decay (half-life)
- The
half-life of C-14 is 5,730 years
This
is Your Life: Starring Carbon-14
- How
carbon-14 is produced
- Collision
with atmosphere (N14)
- Forms
C-14
- C-14
combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide (CO2)
- The
life cycle of carbon-14
- Review
- There
are different types of carbon
- There
are stable and unstable atoms (isotopes)
- Radioactive
decay
- Half-life
(Carbon-14 = 5,730 years)
-
C-14 life-cycle (N-14 C-14
N-14)
Starting
the Clock: Things We Need to Know
- Recognize
any assumptions
- When
does the clock start?
- How
the carbon clock works
- Two
things we need to know
- How
fast carbon-14 decays
- The
starting amount of carbon-14
- Understanding
the starting point
- Determining
the starting amount
- Two
types of carbon (carbon-14 and carbon-12)
- A
ratio difference
- How
the C-12 / C-14 ratio works
A
Critical Assumption
- Has
the C-12 / C-14 ratio always been the same?
- If
the assumption is true
- If
the assumption is false
- Dr.
Willard Libby and equilibrium
- The
facts about equilibrium
- Factors
effecting carbon-14 dating
- Cosmic
ray penetration
- The
strength of the Earth’s magnetic field
- The
CO2 levels in the atmosphere
- The
Genesis Flood
- Atmospheric
levels of carbon
- The
Genesis Flood buried much carbon
- The
buried carbon is mostly C-12
- The
CO2 level in the pre-Flood biosphere was different
- C-14
dates using the present ratio of C12/C14 will give incorrect ages
- Example
of assumptions and dating
- A
false assumption
How
Old is Old: Carbon-14 and Age
- Anything
older than 60,000 years should contain no C-14
- Coal
still contains C-14
- “Million
year old” fossils still contain C-14
- Carbon-14
and recent dates
- Carbon-14
summary
- Carbon-14
can only be used to date organic material
- Carbon-14
dating accuracy is dependent upon a consistent ratio between C-12 and C-14
- The
assumption of equilibrium is FALSE
- There
are factors that can affect C-14 in the atmosphere
- Ancient
fossils as well as coal contain C-14 residue
- One
more thing about age
- About
30,000 years to reach equilibrium
- Over
25% out of equilibrium
- Conclusion:
The earth is young
- Evidences
for a young earth
- Conflict
in dating
Carbon-14
Dating Conclusion
- A
Quote: Radiocarbon: Ages in Error
- The
RATE Group
- Does
anybody really believe this?
- The
evidence
"It Does Make a Difference What You
Believe"