Chinese cave holds carbon dating ‘Holy Grail’
Carbon-14 measurements from stalagmites takes carbon dating back as far as it can go
Stalagmites in a Chinese cave have given scientists all they need to reconstruct the historical record of atmospheric radiocarbon (carbon-14) back to the carbon dating limit of around 54,000 years ago. The researchers claim that the work is a step closer towards the ‘Holy Grail’ of carbon dating – precisely refining the calibration of carbon-14 against a calendar timescale so that dating of historical treasures can become ever more accurate.