Interesting Concept... "Radiocarbon Dating Fund"

[darrow]

I thought this was an interesting concept...  http://www.cardfund.org/

 

"The Community Archaeology Radiocarbon Dating (CARD) Fund was established and funded by Archaeological Research Services Ltd and the SUERC Radiocarbon dating laboratory in January 2016. The fund consists of a set number of radiocarbon dates available on an annual basis that community archaeology groups or projects can apply for. For 2016 there will be 10 radiocarbon dates available. The fund is not open to universities, students, professional archaeological organisations or large charities. It is directed specifically at community groups seeking to obtain radiocarbon dates on key samples from sites they have investigated."

 

I could imagine something similar set up for avocational paleontology perhaps funded by individual membership fee or donations.  Application criteria might encourage responsible/professional collection and documentation of a specimen suspected to have some scientific significance, but the local museum or university isn't interested or doesn't have the resources available.

 

Establishing a qualified review committee transparent and agreeable to everyone might be more of a challenge.

 

Darrow

[Mediospirifer]

Nice idea, but...

Radiocarbon dating isn't helpful for the vast majority of fossils. It has an upper age limit of 50,000 years before there isn't enough ¹⁴C left to detect. That's fine for Pleistocene era bones, but not much else.

Radioisotope dating in general is tricky to apply to fossils. It works best on igneous rocks, so you have to look at the stratigraphy and try to date layers above and below your specimen to get an approximate age, unless the fossil's matrix is an ash bed. You can't just bring in a brachiopod or dinosaur bone (even in matrix) and get a good answer.

I think a stratigraphy resource would be better for paleontology. Many places have already had their geology surveyed and dated; radioisotope dating should only be called for to date igneous layers in places that haven't yet been studied extensively.

I know there are places where the existing surveys have missed details. There may be a layer present in a particular outcrop that doesn't show on the survey map (or one missing that does show for that location). Examination of the rocks present, with references to what fossils are known from which layers, is needed to resolve the puzzle. Radioisotope dating won't help if the layers are sedimentary.

I think that a lot of the resources needed are right here of TFF!

 

[verydeadthings]

Sometimes the best way to date paleontological samples is with paleontology! It sounds circular, but if you sample the rock sorrounding a fossil for microfossils, you can get an estimated age using biostratigraphy. If you gave me a Mesozoic or Cenozoic marine rock, it would probably have nannofossils in it, and I could use them to get an estimated age, usually with a resolution of less than a milliion years.