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To: blam
""However, because 235 U decays much faster than 238 U, in the past, 235 U was more abundant. For example, two billion years ago 235 U was five times higher, about three percent, approximately the concentration of enriched uranium used in modern commercial reactors."

I guess that really screws the carbon dating model too....

20 posted on 04/10/2006 9:08:52 PM PDT by Nathan Zachary
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To: Nathan Zachary
I guess that really screws the carbon dating model too....

Nope. It does not affect it in the least bit. C-14 does not equal U-235. They have no affect on each other.

If you are referring to the relation of the natural abundance with time, C-14 does not operate on the same mechanism that U-235 does. The C-14 abundance is relatively constant because it is constantly produced in small quantities in the upper atmosphere. Since it only has a half life of ~5700 years, none of it could have remained even if 100% of all carbon at the formation of our planet was C-14. Contrast this with U-235 that has a half-life of 700 million years and no mechanism of production (it is formed in supernovas or other significant stellar events). Obviously a significant fraction of U-235 remains even after 6 half-lives (which if you do the calculation is about 1.5% of the initial abundance). Try the calculation with the half life of C-14 if it had no production rate (~800,000 half-lives--hint: you won't be able to use most calculators to find a value this small).

28 posted on 04/10/2006 10:33:42 PM PDT by burzum (A single reprimand does more for a man of intelligence than a hundred lashes for a fool.--Prov 17:10)
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