radiocarbon
5
6.7
- noun
- /ˌreɪdioʊˈkɑːrbən/
- Specialized
:
radiocarbono
- But a few months after the dig, radiocarbon dates revealed that shells found in Lene Hara were 30,000 years old.
- radiocarbon dating
- radiocarbon dating
- radiocarbon-dated bones
Examples
-
The biggest shock of all came from the radiocarbon dates for these pits.
Academic text (2008) -
The so-called Clovis people were earlier, but their age was unknown until the advent of radiocarbon dating in 1945.
Academic text (2002) -
At hundreds of tells all across the region, radiocarbon dates tell a similar story.
Academic text (2011) -
"There are older radiocarbon dates on sites in North America, but not directly on human remains.
Academic text (2008) -
"Thanks to radiocarbon dates from earthquake research, we can date all of those sites."
Academic text (2006) -
A small portion of bone was then sent to the University of California at Riverside for radiocarbon dating.
Academic text (2000) -
Christopher Ramsey, the director of the Oxford Radiocarbon Laboratory, thinks more testing is needed.
Blog text (24) -
Higham hopes these shells will yield radiocarbon dates from the Neolithic to the Iron Age.
Academic text (2006) -
A few pockets of charcoal in the midden yielded radiocarbon dates of about 3,300 years ago.
Academic text (1995) -
Scientists used radiocarbon dating to determine the age of the ancient artifact found in the cave.
Synonyms
3
4.9
A radioactive type of carbon used to find how old dead plants and animals are
Compounds
- Specialized
2
4.4
A way to find the age of objects that were once alive by measuring how much carbon-14 they have
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Radiocarbon begins with radio- meaning 'ray' or 'radiation', as you see in radio and radiation, and ends with carbon, from a word for 'coal' that names the element found in all living things. So radiocarbon is 'carbon that gives off rays', and that is why scientists use it to find how old things are.