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Article: The remarkable metrological history of radiocarbon dating [II].
- Article from:
- Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
- Article date:
- March 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 National Institute of Standards and Technology. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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This article traces the metrological history of radiocarbon, from the initial breakthrough devised by Libby, to minor (evolutionary) and major (revolutionary) advances that have brought [.sup.14]C measurement from a crude, bulk [8 g carbon] dating tool, to a refined probe for dating tiny amounts of precious artifacts, and for "molecular dating" at the 10 [micro]g to 100 [micro]g level. The metrological advances led to opportunities and surprises, such as the non-monotonic dendrochronological calibration curve and the "bomb effect," that gave rise to new multidisciplinary areas of application, ranging from archaeology and anthropology to cosmic ray physics to oceanography ...