Question

Write the definition of fossils and explain the process of dating of fossil.

Answer 1

Fossils are the preserved remains of the dead animals and plants. Carbon dating is best suited for determining the age of fossils if their age in years is of the order of 10,000 years. This is because fossil older than this are destroyed due to the time factor. Carbon-14 is used to determine the age of organic material. The procedure is based on the formation of ${}^{14}$C by neutron capture released by cosmic rays in the upper atmosphere. ${}^{14}$C is absorbed by living organisms during photosynthesis. The ${}^{14}$C content is constant in living organism once the plant or animal dies, the uptake of carbon dioxide by it ceases and the level of ${}^{14}$C in the dead being, falls due to the decay. The half life period of ${}^{14}$C is 5770 years. The comparison of the activity of the dead matter with that of the carbon still in circulation enables measurement of the period of the isolation of the material from the living cycle.