For radiocarbon dating to be possible, the material must once have been part of a living organism. This means that things like stone, metal and pottery cannot usually be directly dated by this means unless there is some organic material embedded or left as a residue.
How stones are dated?
To establish the age of a rock or a fossil, researchers use some type of clock to determine the date it was formed. Geologists commonly use radiometric dating methods, based on the natural radioactive decay of certain elements such as potassium and carbon, as reliable clocks to date ancient events.
What types of materials can be dated with radiocarbon dating?
Carbon-14 Datable Materials Samples that have been radiocarbon dated since the inception of the method include charcoal, wood, twigs, seeds, bones, shells, leather, peat, lake mud, soil, hair, pottery, pollen, wall paintings, corals, blood residues, fabrics, paper or parchment, resins, and water, among others.
Can statues be carbon dated?
Monuments like Stonehenge and the Easter Island statues may also be assigned at least approximate dates based on other cultural artifacts and histories. A limitation of true carbon dating is that it is not very accurate at all for times less than several thousands of years.
Tools also provide evidence for human evolution . This is often the layers of sediment surround the tool. Dating can be done by radiocarbon dating or other techniques which look at the amounts of elements like iron or potassium. It is the assumed that the tool is approximately as old as the rock which surrounds it.