Radiocarbon decay. The black rectangle represents a 14C sample, with the yellow dots representing 14C within it. For illustrative purposes, this block contains 10,000 14C atoms, though in reality many more radiocarbon atoms would be present. As time passes (x-axis) the 14C decays randomly but at a known rate represented by the Libby half-life of 5568 years (the red curve). Animation by Maarten Blaauw, Department of Archaeology and Palaeoecology, School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen's University Belfast.
Close Window
University of Texas at Austin
College of Liberal Arts