Carbon dating gives inaccurate results

From EvoWiki

Contents 1 Claim 2 Source 3 Responses 4 Fallacies contained in this claim 5 References 6 Related claims 7 Further Reading 8 See Also 9 Acknowledgments

Claim

Carbon-14 dating gives unreliable results.

Source

• Lee, Robert E., 1981. Radiocarbon: Ages in Error. Anthropological Journal of Canada 19(3) (29 Sept.) and Creation Research Society Quarterly 19: 117-127 (Sept. 1982).
• Anon, 1985. Life--How Did It Get Here? By Evolution or By Creation? Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., p. 97

Responses

1. Strictly speaking, this claim is true; radiocarbon dating can indeed yield bogus results if one applies it to inappropriate samples or in an incompetent fashion. Of course, the fact that radiocarbon dating can be misapplied does nothing to reduce its accuracy or scientific value when not misapplied. Or, to put it more simply "garbage in, garbage out."
2. Scientists have confidence in Carbon-14 dating to about 50,000 years ago. Other methods of radiometric dating are used beyond that age.
3. Carbon dating has been independently verified many times. For example, trees C-dated to a certain age have tree ring sizes compatible with the date. Also, living things buried in disasters occurring at known times date appropriately.
4. add more responses

Fallacies contained in this claim

• Hasty Generalization (if carbon dating can give inaccurate results then it always yields inaccurate results)
• Suppressed Evidence (of unusual circumstances when Carbon-14 dating failed to work)

References

1. Anon., n.d. Radio-carbon dating. http://emuseum.mnsu.edu/archaeology/dating/radio_carbon.html
2. Watson, Kathie, 2001. Radiometric Time Scale. http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/geotime/radiometric.html
3. The Regents of the University of California (12/14/06). Chronological Methods 8 - Radiocarbon Dating. Retrieved on 2008-04-17.

Related claims

• Variable C14/C12 ratio invalidates C14 dating
• Living snails were C14 dated at 2,300 and 27,000 years old
• Triassic wood from Australia was dated at 33K years old
• Ancient oil is C14 dated as only 50,000 years old
• Carbon-14 in Coal Deposits indicates a young earth
• A freshly killed seal was C14 dated at 1300 years old
• Vollosovitch and Dima mammoths yielded inconsistent C14 dates
• Biologists think that Carbon 14 proves evolution

Further Reading

1. Higham, Tom, 1999. Radiocarbon WEB-Info. http://www.c14dating.com/
2. Thompson, Tim, 2003. A Radiometric Dating Resource List. http://www.tim-thompson.com/radiometric.html#reliability

See Also

• Why is Creationism not a Scientific Theory?
• Radiometric dating

Acknowledgments