How reliable is carbon dating? Is radiocarbon dating a good method to use to determine the age of things?

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TL;DR:

When correctly applied, radiocarbon dating can give a reliable indicator of the age of organic matter. Thanks to Carbon-14 dating, Christians can have increased confidence that the Bible has historical credibility.

from the old testament

  • A major theme of the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32 is God's faithfulness. Verse 7 instructs the people of God to "Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you; Your elders, and they will tell you." We can look back at historical events, not only to determine dates, but to recall what God has done.
  • Second Kings 20:20 mentions the construction of a water supply tunnel by King Hezekiah around 700 B.C. Scientists applied Carbon-14 dating on the wood used to make the plaster for the tunnel, and the results matched the biblical record, confirming the historical accuracy of the event.
  • David strengthened himself in the Lord by meditating on all that God had done in the past. By pondering the work of God's hands, including the created order around us, David sought to know and worship the Creator (Psalm 143:5).

from the new testament

  • All things were created through Christ and for Christ (Colossians 1:16). The facts of creation are more important than when it occurred.

implications for today

As with any method, the underlying assumptions determine the outcome. A key assumption for radiocarbon dating is the calibration curve, which converts radiocarbon ages into calendar ages. This curve is necessary because the atmospheric ratio of radiocarbon (14C) to stable carbon (12C) has not been constant over time. Calibration curves are developed from various sources, including tree rings, marine sediments, and corals. However, researchers must use a calibration curve that accounts for solar activity and local variability in growth rates. Incorrect calibration curves can throw off carbon-14 dates by decades or even centuries.

Taking into account the local variability in Israel, a precise new dating of archaeological sites in Jerusalem supports some of the key historical events described in the Bible. This chronology of Jerusalem includes the settling of the city between the 12th and 10th centuries B.C., a major earthquake in the mid-eighth century, and its eventual destruction by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The research combined radiocarbon dating with measurements of atmospheric radiocarbon from tree rings to build the chronology of the ancient city.

In general, radiocarbon dating becomes more difficult, and less accurate, as the sample gets older because it has fewer carbon-14 isotopes. Radiocarbon dating can be applied to most organic materials that are less than about forty thousand years old. When used in conjunction with other methods, carbon dating can reliably determine the age of ancient remains.

understand

  • Radiocarbon dating is reliable for dating organic materials, particularly those under forty thousand years old.
  • Radiocarbon dating has verified key biblical artifacts, confirming historical events like Hezekiah’s tunnel and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
  • Accuracy of radiocarbon dating depends on calibration curves, which can vary based on environmental factors.

reflect

  • How does understanding the reliability of carbon dating help strengthen your confidence in the historical accuracy of the Bible?
  • How can considering the assumptions behind carbon dating influence how we interpret scientific findings?
  • How does understanding the validity of the occurrence of events rather than validating their exact dates, shape your perspective on the importance of timelines in Scripture?

engage

  • How do you think radiocarbon dating can contribute to or challenge our understanding of biblical events and artifacts?
  • What are some potential limitations of using radiocarbon dating to confirm historical events, and how can we address them?
  • How do you see the relationship between scientific methods like carbon dating and the truth of Scripture in the context of historical accuracy?