ABSTRACT
Carbon-14 is the most important single tool made available by tracer methodology, because carbon occupies the central position in the chemistry of biological systems. Longest lived among carbon’s radioactive isotopes is carbon-14. Carbon-14, sometimes called just radiocarbon, is practically identical in its chemical behavior to carbon-12 and carbon-13 but is unstable with respect to radioactive decay at a very slow rate. Cosmic rays are ultimately responsible for a variety of phenomena among which are the auroras seen in the more polar latitudes of both northern and southern hemispheres. More significant fluctuations, including alterations in Earth’s magnetic field, which can deflect cosmic rays, force corrections onto the interpretation of the radiocarbon-determined ages. In the “Production of Radiocarbon” section, there was a subtle hedge in the comment on the chemical behavior of the different carbon isotopes, saying they were “practically identical.” Fluctuations in cosmic ray intensity, and thereby the production of radiocarbon, can occasionally have confounding effects.
