Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon. Histories of archaeology often refer to its impact as the radiocarbon revolution.

How is radioactive carbon used to date archaeological?

Over time, carbon-14 decays in predictable ways. And with the help of radiocarbon dating, researchers can use that decay as a kind of clock that allows them to peer into the past and determine absolute dates for everything from wood to food, pollen, poop, and even dead animals and humans.

How is radioactivity used in archaeology?

Archaeologists also use radioactive substances to determine the ages of fossils and other objects through a process called carbon dating. For example, in the upper levels of our atmosphere, cosmic rays strike nitrogen atoms and form a naturally radioactive isotope called carbon-14.

What types of materials are radioactive?

The following radioactive elements are found naturally in the environment.Alpha Radiation. Alpha radiation is a type of energy released when certain radioactive elements decay or break down. Uranium. Uranium is a radioactive element that can be found in soil, air, water, rocks, plants and food. Radium. Radon. Polonium.

What is the first radioactive element?

uranium While uranium was the first radioactive element to be discovered, radium was much more popular, as it was a spontaneously luminous material that emitted an incredible quantity of radiation.