Which one of the following is used for dating archaeological specimens in wood, bones, and shells ?

Options

A. Uranium -238
B. Argon isotope
C. Carbon-14
D. Strontium -90

Answer

**Step-by-Step Solution:**

1. **Understanding the Question**: The question asks for the method used to date archaeological specimens specifically in wood, bones, and shells.

2. **Defining Dating**: Dating refers to the process of determining the age of fossils or archaeological specimens.

3. **Types of Dating**: There are two main types of dating methods:
- **Relative Dating**: This method determines the age of fossils based on their position in the geological layers. Fossils found in deeper layers are older than those found in upper layers.
- **Radioactive Dating**: This method uses the decay of radioactive isotopes to determine the age of specimens.

4. **Focusing on Radioactive Dating**: Among the radioactive isotopes, Carbon-14 (C-14) is particularly important for dating organic materials such as wood, bones, and shells.

5. **Understanding Carbon-14**:
- Carbon-14 is a radioactive isotope of carbon that decays over time into a stable isotope (Carbon-12).
- The decay occurs at a steady rate, which is quantified as the half-life.

6. **Half-Life of Carbon-14**: The half-life of Carbon-14 is approximately 5,730 years, meaning that after this period, half of the original amount of Carbon-14 will have decayed.

7. **Application of Carbon-14 Dating**: By measuring the ratio of Carbon-14 to Carbon-12 in a specimen, scientists can estimate the time since the organism died, allowing them to date specimens up to about 70,000 years old.

8. **Conclusion**: Therefore, the method used for dating archaeological specimens in wood, bones, and shells is **Carbon-14 dating**.