You find the frozen remains of a woolly mammoth in an Alaskan glacier. You analyze a bit of the tusk and find that its 14C:12C ratio is about one-fourth (25%) of the baseline level typically found in living organisms. Given that the half-life of 14C is 5,730 years, when did the mammoth die?
A. 5,730 years ago
B. almost 12,000 years ago
C. at least 25,000 years ago
D. approximately 75,000 years ago
Answer:B
You find the frozen remains of a woolly mammoth in an Alaskan glacier. You analyze a bit of the tusk and find that its 14C:12C ratio is about one-fourth (25%) of the baseline level typically found in living organisms. Given that the half-life of 14C is 5,730 years, when did the mammoth die?
A. 5,730 years ago B. almost 12,000 years ago C. at least 25,000 years ago D. approximately 75,000 years ago