Carbon dating. Phials containing samples for carbon dating using accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). All living material incorporates a radioactive isotope of carbon,carbon-14 (14C),and a stable isotope,carbon-12 (12C),into its tissue at a known ratio. When the tissue dies the amount of 12C remains constant,but 14C decays. Measuring the amount of 14C compared to 12C in a sample indicates how long ago the tissue died. Carbon dating using AMS requires only a very small sample of material,minimising the damage to a specimen. Samples must be protected against contamination from material of a different age. Photographed at Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit,University of Oxford,UK | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / King-Holmes, James |
Taille de l’image : | 3413 px × 5120 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |