The half-life of carbon-14 is 5,730 years, so carbon dating is only relevant for dating fossils less than 60,000 years old. Carbon dating uses the decay of carbon-14 to estimate the age of organic materials, such as wood and leather.
What is the age limit for carbon dating?
about 50,000 years Geologists do not use carbon-based radiometric dating to determine the age of rocks. Carbon dating only works for objects that are younger than about 50,000 years, and most rocks of interest are older than that.
Can carbon dating be used to date fossils older than 75000 years old?
While people are most familiar with carbon dating, carbon dating is rarely applicable to fossils. Carbon-14, the radioactive isotope of carbon used in carbon dating has a half-life of 5730 years, so it decays too fast. It can only be used to date fossils younger than about 75,000 years.
How do we know how old is fossil?
To establish the age of a rock or a fossil, researchers use some type of clock to determine the date it was formed. Geologists commonly use radiometric dating methods, based on the natural radioactive decay of certain elements such as potassium and carbon, as reliable clocks to date ancient events.
Carbon 14 is a common form of carbon which decays over time. The amount of Carbon 14 contained in a preserved plant is modeled by the equation f(t) = 10e^{-ct}.