In 1946, Willard Libby proposed an innovative method for dating organic materials by measuring their content of carbon-14, a newly discovered radioactive isotope of carbon. Known as radiocarbon dating, this method provides objective age estimates for carbon-based objects that originated from living organisms.

Who invented the carbon dating method in 1954?

Willard Libby Willard LibbyDiedSeptember 8, 1980 (aged 71) Los Angeles, CaliforniaNationalityAmericanAlma materUniversity of California, BerkeleyKnown forRadiocarbon dating10 more rows

What can affect carbon dating?

Various geologic, atmospheric and solar processes can influence atmospheric carbon-14 levels. Since the 1960s, scientists have started accounting for the variations by calibrating the clock against the known ages of tree rings.