Radiocarbon dating in groundwater systems
Links
- More information: Publisher Index Page
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
The radioactive isotope of carbon, radiocarbon (14C), was first produced artificially in 1940 by Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben, who bombarded graphite in a cyclotron at the Radiation Laboratory at Berkeley, CA, in an attempt to produce a radioactive isotope of carbon that could be used as a tracer in biological systems (Kamen (1963) [101]; Ruben and Kamen (1941) [102]). Carbon-14 of cosmogenic origin was discovered in atmospheric CO2 in 1946 by Willard F. Libby, who determined a half-life of 5568 a. Libby and his co-workers (Anderson et al. (1947) [103]; Libby et al. (1949) [104]) developed radiocarbon dating of organic carbon of biological origin, which revolutionized research in a number of fields, including archaeology and quaternary geology/climatology, by establishing ages and chronologies of events that have occurred over the past approximately 45 ka.
Suggested Citation
Plummer, N., Glynn, P.D., 2013, Radiocarbon dating in groundwater systems, chap. 4 of Isotope Methods for Dating Old Groundwater, p. 33-89.
| Publication type | Book chapter |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Book Chapter |
| Title | Radiocarbon dating in groundwater systems |
| Chapter | 4 |
| Year Published | 2013 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | International Atomic Energy Agency |
| Publisher location | Vienna, Austria |
| Contributing office(s) | National Research Program - Eastern Branch |
| Description | 57 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Book |
| Larger Work Subtype | Other Government Series |
| Larger Work Title | Isotope Methods for Dating Old Groundwater |
| First page | 33 |
| Last page | 89 |