Assuming that the global amount of radiocarbon is constant, decaying Carbon-14 is repeatedly restored in organisms while they are alive. However, when an organism dies, the amount of Carbon-14 begins to decrease as it decays to Nitrogen-14. A peat bed sample is found to have 6% of Carbon-14 remaining from a specific type of bivalve shells. How old is the peat bed?

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Assuming that the global amount of radiocarbon is constant, decaying Carbon-14 is repeatedly restored in organisms while they are alive. However, when an organism dies, the amount of Carbon-14 begins to decrease as it decays to Nitrogen-14.

A peat bed sample is found to have 6% of Carbon-14 remaining from a specific type of bivalve shells. How old is the peat bed?

SOME ISOTOPES USED FOR RADIOMETRIC DATING
Half-lives (T,)
Parent
Isotope (P)
Daughter
Isotope (D)
Materials Dated
Newty formed
crystal
Uranium-238
Lead-206
4.5 billon years
Zroon
100
713 milion years
1.3 billon years
Uranium-235
Lead-207
Zroon
Biotite, muscovite,
whole volcanic rock
15.9%
Potassium-40
Argon-40
decayed to daughter
Carbon-14
Nitrogen-14
5730 years
Shells, limestone,
organic materials
84.1
29.3%
decayed
70.7
Parent
Atoms (P)
0000
RADIOACTIVE
DECAY
50.0
50%
decayed
Daughter
Atoms (D)
25.0
75% decayed
87.5%
decayed
12.5
6.2
3.1
93.8%
decayed
96.9%
decayed
2
3
Half-lives (T) Elapsed
DECAY PARAMETERS FOR ALL RADIOACTIVE DECAY PAIRS
Percent of
Parent
Atoms (P)
Percent of
Daughter
Atoms (D)
Half-lives
Elapsed
Age
0.000 x T
0.015 x T
0.031 x T
0.062 x T
0.125 x T
0.250 x T
0.500 x T
1.000 х Тур
1.500 x T
2.000 x Ty,
3.000 х Ту
4.000 x T,
5.000 х Ту
100.0
0.0
98.9
1.1
1/64
97.9
2.1
1/32
95.8
4.2
1/16
91.7
83
1/8
84.1
15.9
1/4
70.7
29.3
1/2
50.0
50.0
35.4
64.6
25.0
75.0
12.5
87.5
6.2
93.8
4
3.1
96.9
5
FIGURE 16 Some isotopes useful for radiometric dating and their decay parameters. The half-life of each
decay pair is different (top chart), but the graph and decay parameters (bottom charts) are the same for all
decay pairs.
Percent of Parent (P) Atoms Remaining
Transcribed Image Text:SOME ISOTOPES USED FOR RADIOMETRIC DATING Half-lives (T,) Parent Isotope (P) Daughter Isotope (D) Materials Dated Newty formed crystal Uranium-238 Lead-206 4.5 billon years Zroon 100 713 milion years 1.3 billon years Uranium-235 Lead-207 Zroon Biotite, muscovite, whole volcanic rock 15.9% Potassium-40 Argon-40 decayed to daughter Carbon-14 Nitrogen-14 5730 years Shells, limestone, organic materials 84.1 29.3% decayed 70.7 Parent Atoms (P) 0000 RADIOACTIVE DECAY 50.0 50% decayed Daughter Atoms (D) 25.0 75% decayed 87.5% decayed 12.5 6.2 3.1 93.8% decayed 96.9% decayed 2 3 Half-lives (T) Elapsed DECAY PARAMETERS FOR ALL RADIOACTIVE DECAY PAIRS Percent of Parent Atoms (P) Percent of Daughter Atoms (D) Half-lives Elapsed Age 0.000 x T 0.015 x T 0.031 x T 0.062 x T 0.125 x T 0.250 x T 0.500 x T 1.000 х Тур 1.500 x T 2.000 x Ty, 3.000 х Ту 4.000 x T, 5.000 х Ту 100.0 0.0 98.9 1.1 1/64 97.9 2.1 1/32 95.8 4.2 1/16 91.7 83 1/8 84.1 15.9 1/4 70.7 29.3 1/2 50.0 50.0 35.4 64.6 25.0 75.0 12.5 87.5 6.2 93.8 4 3.1 96.9 5 FIGURE 16 Some isotopes useful for radiometric dating and their decay parameters. The half-life of each decay pair is different (top chart), but the graph and decay parameters (bottom charts) are the same for all decay pairs. Percent of Parent (P) Atoms Remaining
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