Question

What should be the age of fossil for meaningful determination of age?

• A. 6 year
• B. 6000 year
• C. 60,000 year
• D. It can be used to calculate any age

Answer 1

The correct option is B 6000 year

Carbon-14 (${}^{14}C$) is the radioactive isotope of carbon which is used for the determination of age of organic material. ${}^{14}C$ is absorbed by living organisms during photosynthesis. The ${}^{14}C$ content is constant in every living organism but when the plant or animal dies, the uptake of carbon dioxide ceases and the level of ${}^{14}C$ falls due to the decay it undergoes. The half life period of ${}^{14}C$ is 5770 years. Also, radio carbon dating method ceases to be accurate over periods longer than 30,000 years. Hence, answer is B