Question: What happens to the Carbon-14 when plants and animals die? Answer: When organisms containing C-14 die, there is no further intake of Carbon 14, so the Carbon- 14 concentration slowly decreases as individual unstable Carbon- 14 decay back into stable Nitrogen -14 atoms. Question: What does radioactive half-life mean? Answer: Carbon -14 has a […]
Formation of Carbon-14
Cosmic Rays From Space Question: What are cosmic rays? Answer: Fast moving particles from space: 90% high energy protons (hydrogen nuclei), 10% high energy alpha particles (helium nuclei), 1% electrons Question: How are cosmic rays involved in the formation of carbon-14? Answer: Cosmic rays bombard the nuclei of gases in earth’s atmosphere resulting in neutrons […]