How Carbon-14 Dating Works
Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bibliography Bailey, Lloyd R. These counters record bursts of ionization caused by the beta particles emitted by the decaying 14 C atoms; the bursts are proportional to the energy of the particle, so other sources of ionization, such as background radiation, can be identified and ignored. The application of radiocarbon dating to groundwater analysis can offer a technique to predict the over-pumping of the aquifer before it becomes contaminated or overexploited.
Such old coal should be devoid of 14C. The problem, says Bronk Ramsey, is that tree rings provide a direct record that only goes as far back as about 14,000 years. This excess appears to have come from the upper mantle, below the Earth's crust.
Radiocarbon Dating and Archaeology - Since the surface ocean is depleted in 14 C because of the marine effect, 14 C is removed from the southern atmosphere more quickly than in the north. Looking at how rock formations are structured, a geologist may be able to say which rock was developed in which layer in a particular order but not be able to determine that actual geologic age of the layers.