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History of radiocarbon dating

Abstract

The development is traced of radiocarbon dating from its birth in curiosity regarding the effects of cosmic radiation on Earth. Discussed in historical perspective are: the significance of the initial measurements in determining the course of developments; the advent of the low-level counting technique; attempts to avoid low-level counting by the use of isotopic enrichment; the gradual appearance of the environmental effect due to the combustion of fossil fuel (Suess effect); recognition of the atmosphere ocean barrier for carbon dioxide exchange; detailed understanding of the mixing mechanism from the study of fallout radiocarbon; determination of the new half-life; indexing and the assimilation problem for the massive accumulation of dates; and the proliferation of measurement techniques and the impact of archaeological insight on the validity of radiocarbon dates. (author)
Authors:
Libby, W F [1] 
  1. Department of Chemistry and Institute of Geophysics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
Publication Date:
Aug 15, 1967
Product Type:
Conference
Report Number:
IAEA-SM-87/40
Resource Relation:
Conference: Symposium on radioactive dating and methods of low-level counting, Monaco (Monaco), 2-10 Mar 1967; Other Information: 22 refs, 15 figs, 5 tabs; Related Information: In: Radioactive dating and methods of low-level counting. Proceedings of a symposium, Proceedings series, 744 pages.
Subject:
58 GEOSCIENCES; BIOSPHERE; CARBON 14; CARBON DIOXIDE; COMBUSTION; COSMIC RADIATION; FALLOUT DEPOSITS; FOSSIL FUELS; HALF-LIFE; ISOTOPE DATING; LOW LEVEL COUNTING; SEAS
OSTI ID:
20895301
Research Organizations:
International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria); Joint Commission on Applied Radioactivity of the International Council of Scientific Unions, Paris (France)
Country of Origin:
IAEA
Language:
English
Other Identifying Numbers:
Other: ISSN 0074-1884; TRN: XA0701579058813
Submitting Site:
INIS
Size:
page(s) 3-25
Announcement Date:
Aug 13, 2007

Citation Formats

Libby, W F. History of radiocarbon dating. IAEA: N. p., 1967. Web.
Libby, W F. History of radiocarbon dating. IAEA.
Libby, W F. 1967. "History of radiocarbon dating." IAEA.
@misc{etde_20895301,
title = {History of radiocarbon dating}
author = {Libby, W F}
abstractNote = {The development is traced of radiocarbon dating from its birth in curiosity regarding the effects of cosmic radiation on Earth. Discussed in historical perspective are: the significance of the initial measurements in determining the course of developments; the advent of the low-level counting technique; attempts to avoid low-level counting by the use of isotopic enrichment; the gradual appearance of the environmental effect due to the combustion of fossil fuel (Suess effect); recognition of the atmosphere ocean barrier for carbon dioxide exchange; detailed understanding of the mixing mechanism from the study of fallout radiocarbon; determination of the new half-life; indexing and the assimilation problem for the massive accumulation of dates; and the proliferation of measurement techniques and the impact of archaeological insight on the validity of radiocarbon dates. (author)}
place = {IAEA}
year = {1967}
month = {Aug}
}