What isotope is key for radiocarbon dating?
Carbon-12
Carbon-14
Uranium-238
Hydrogen-3
Answer
The key isotope for radiocarbon dating is Carbon-14, a radioactive isotope of carbon with an atomic mass of 14. Present in trace amounts in Earth's atmosphere and living organisms, Carbon-14 continuously decays to nitrogen. By measuring the amount of Carbon-14 remaining in organic material, scientists can determine when the organism died, making it an invaluable tool in archaeology, geology, and other fields to date objects up to 50,000 years old.
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