Radiocarbon Dating/Examples/Lascaux Caves

Example of Radiocarbon Dating
Charcoal from the remains of the fire found in the was analysed.

It was determined that $85.5 \%$ of the amount of carbon-14 had decomposed since the wood was alive.

The Formula for Radiocarbon Dating is used:
 * $t = -8060 \ln r$

where:
 * $t$ denotes the age in years of the sample of wood which is to be determined
 * $r$ denotes ratio of the quantity of carbon-14 remaining in the sample after time $t$ to the quantity of carbon-14 in the sample at the time of its death.

Thus:

Hence it is determined that the fire in the cave, and hence the dwellers therein, dates from approximately $15 \, 500$ years ago.