ASBOG Practice Exam

Which radiometric dating method is suitable for dating organic materials?

1. Uranium-lead dating

2. Carbon-14 dating

3. Potassium-argon dating

4. Rubidium-strontium dating

The correct answer is: Carbon-14 dating

Carbon-14 dating is the appropriate method for dating organic materials because it specifically targets carbon-containing compounds that are derived from living organisms. This method relies on the radioactive isotope of carbon, Carbon-14, which is produced in the atmosphere and readily absorbed by plants during photosynthesis. Animals then consume these plants, making Carbon-14 a suitable marker for dating once-living organisms. The half-life of Carbon-14 is approximately 5,730 years, allowing it to effectively date materials that are up to about 50,000 years old. This makes Carbon-14 dating particularly useful for archaeological and geologic studies to understand the age of former life forms and historical artifacts made from organic materials. In contrast, the other methods listed involve isotopes with significantly longer half-lives and are typically used for dating geological formations and rocks rather than organic material. For example, Uranium-lead dating is used for rocks that are millions to billions of years old, while Potassium-argon dating is useful for dating very old geological samples, and Rubidium-strontium dating is similarly suited for ancient rock formations.