Global Radiocarbon Cycle The atmosphere, oceans, and biosphere are radiocarbon reservoirs of varying concentrations. This is how terrestrial organisms take in carbon 14 in their systems.
Most of the radiocarbon found on earth is formed naturally in the upper atmosphere. High-energy cosmic rays (from outside the solar system) are constantly bombarding the upper atmosphere. These high-energy particles undergo a whole cascade of nuclear reactions resulting in some slow moving neutrons.
What field is radiocarbon dating?
radiometric dating The Carbon-14 Cycle. Radiocarbon dating (usually referred to simply as carbon-14 dating) is a radiometric dating method. It uses the naturally occurring radioisotope carbon-14 (14C) to estimate the age of carbon-bearing materials up to about 58,000 to 62,000 years old.