Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology => Topic started by: paul.fr on 14/06/2007 10:20:26

Title: how is amber dated?
Post by: paul.fr on 14/06/2007 10:20:26

i would not imagine you could use carbon dating, so how do they date amber?

Title: how is amber dated?
Post by: dentstudent on 14/06/2007 10:57:36

I don't know - when I asked her, she didn't want to go out with me....

It seems that radio-carbon dating can be used..
http://www.pgm.lt/Gintaras/butrimo_straipsnis.en.htm

Title: how is amber dated?
Post by: eric l on 14/06/2007 12:28:23

Quote from: paul.fr on 14/06/2007 10:20:26

i would not imagine you could use carbon dating, so how do they date amber?

Amber is a petrified (= densified) resin from trees, it is still an organic compound containing carbon.  Carbon dating is definitely possible !
(For the composition :  check this link :  http://www.emporia.edu/earthsci/amber/physic.htm)

Title: how is amber dated?
Post by: ichnos on 14/06/2007 12:33:04

Radio carbon dating can not be used on "older rocks" i can't remember the exact age but anything older than a couple of Ma is not possible. the only methods u could use would be to a) get a rough evolutionary age from any insects etc trapped in the amber or b) dating the surrounding sediment in which the amber is found either by magnetostratigraphy or biostratigraphy... [:)]

Title: how is amber dated?
Post by: dentstudent on 14/06/2007 12:54:59

This C14 website states that radio-carbon dating can be achieved up to -75,000 years, but obviously depends on the lab, and the degree of precision required. Normally up to 50 - 60,000 years is the limit.

http://www.c14dating.com/agecalc.html

No idea what happens for dating before this though. Is it radiometric?

Title: how is amber dated?
Post by: JimBob on 15/06/2007 05:00:39

Most often, amber is dated by dating the matrix rocks - the rock in which it is found. This yields a minimum age. Occasionally it is older than the surrounding rocks because it has eroded from the original deposit and been redeposited. This occurs in some Russian amber. The sediments in which it is found are in deltaic and riverine deposits, where erosion and redeposition is common.

Title: Re: how is amber dated?
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