Adjust radioactive carbon dating

2010/03/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Paleontologia
• Arkeologia

Through a new calibration curve, the international research team INTCAL has adjusted radioactive carbon dating.

The carbon 14 method is based on the radioactive carbon 14 measures that absorb plants and animals from carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, the concentration of carbon 14 in the atmosphere varies depending on solar activity and the Earth's magnetic field. Therefore, in carbon-14 dating these changes must be taken into account, for which a calibration curve that contemplates these incidents is essential.

The INTCAL research group has been working on the calculation of this calibration curve for several years. The curve published in 2004 was valid for dating up to 26,000 years. Now it has been published in the magazine Radiocarbon another more detailed than in 2004 and serves for dating up to 50,000 years. This new curve can help researchers resolve issues related to human evolution, such as the impact of climate change on human adaptations and migrations.