The Pros and Cons of Weathering

Radiometric dating (aka. The Carbon-14 Dating Technique) relies on the natural radioactive decay of an isotope (the term for one particular atomic composition). We’ll discuss some of the more noteworthy and important pros and cons of weathering in this article. One important relationship between chemical and mechanical weathering is ________.

When examining items that are of archaeological interest, it’s important to note that many artifacts have been found to be older than previously thought by using radiometric dating. But not all artifacts have been shown to have such drastic revisions when dated: mainly, organic materials like wood or leather.

Pros of Weathering are:

1. An easy way to determine if an artifact is truly “old”

Prior to the advent of radiometric dating, it was difficult to determine the age of an artifact. Not only was it difficult, but there was also a significant amount of controversy, as discussed by David Price in his article: “Problems with Dating Fossils”. In other words, many people argued about whether fossils were thousands, millions or even billions of years old.

However, when more accurate dating techniques like radiometric dating were discovered in the early 20th century, scientists responded by announcing that archaeology and paleontology had entered into a new era tempered with their presence. For example, the word “Paleoanthropology” was coined in the early 1900s within just a few years of the discovery of Carbon-14 dating. While it may seem like a new era for science, it was actually only recently that new archaeological dating techniques were discovered.

2. The accuracy of radiometric dating has a positive impact on research

Radiometric dating has saved scientists and archaeologists a lot of time and effort over the years: especially with artifacts from very distant regions (as in North America) or distant periods (like the Carboniferous period). In the case of North American artifacts, earlier archaeological researchers used Carbon-14 dating to determine when Paleo-Indians lived in the area.

3. The accuracy of radiometric dating helps narrow down the time-frame in which something was created

Carbon-14 dating is widely used to date organic materials like bone and wood. It’s also widely used because it’s so accurate for organic material. In fact, it can narrow down the date to within a few decades of when an organic artifact was created.

4. Provides a reliable estimate of the age of organic materials

The accuracy of organic dating methods is a direct result of the nature of how radioactive isotopes decay. The differences in decay rates make it easy to date objects and narrow the possible date-range. The ability to narrow down the date-range allows archaeologists to focus on particular time periods when doing excavations. For example, if you find an artifact with a radiometric date that occurs between 10,000 years ago and 15,000 years ago, you can assume that this artifact has something to do with one of these two significant dates.

5. It can be applied to artifacts of very distant regions

While there are many factors that can interfere with obtaining an accurate age-reading, most of these factors are easily overcome. One such example is the amount of Carbon-14 in the atmosphere. If an area has a large supply of Carbon-14 in the atmosphere, then the amount present in organic artifacts will be much more than if it was created in a zone with a lower concentration of Carbon-14. This is why archaeologists use local standards when dating organic materials: to make sure they are getting an accurate age value. The standards they choose come from organic material which is known to have been recently living (and so will have an equal amount of Carbon-14).

Cons of weathering are:

1. Not all materials can be dated with radiometric dating

Certain materials like obsidian and flint cannot be radiometrically dated (for practical purposes) because they cannot retain an isotope inside of them. In other words, Carbon-14 will not stay in these materials for long enough to find an accurate reading. This is because the interior of these types of materials are volcanic in nature: so any Carbon-14 present in the artifact will quickly have decayed after it was created. With this in mind, there are other methods that can be used to date artifacts made from obsidian and flint.

2. The dating process is not always accurate

Not only is the contamination of artifacts a problem for the accuracy of radiometric dating, but so is the possibility of human error. One big problem with this is when archaeologists report their findings to the public; they are prone to say that they have an “estimate” as opposed to a “conclusion”. This can be due to any type of miscalculation which may arise while researching the artifact itself.

3. It can be expensive (time and money-wise)

Just like there are many benefits to dating organic materials with Carbon-14, there are also some drawbacks (namely cost). The big downside is that most scientists cannot afford to have access to a large quantity of organic materials for each artifact being studied. For example, a huge array of Carbon-14 dating is required for an archaeologist to obtain accurate age readings on an artifact with a large amount of carbon within it.

4. Not all items can be dated with radiometric dating

Even if you can afford the cost of Carbon-14 dating, not all items can be dated this way because they do not contain enough carbon in them (or have enough to extract). For example, bones cannot be dated because they lack the necessary amounts of mineralized cells in them.

Summary:

In conclusion, there are many advantages and disadvantages associated with dating organic materials with radiometric dating. This is because it is such a new and promising field for archaeologists to research in. One day, maybe all artifacts will have an accurate age-reading for them, but for now; this is not the case. At least the fundamentals of Carbon-14 dating are understood well enough to know that the method works, but more research will be necessary to fully understand its processes.