Carbon 14 Dates - What Are the Limits?

Carbon 14 dates are approximations, but since carbon 14 decays at a steady, stable rate, they are pretty accurate most of the time. The major limitation is that it will only let you go so far back into the past. At some point there will be so few carbon 14 atoms left ina ample that you can't get a reliable date. If you want to date something older than 60 thousand years, you 're going to need toe and other technique.