NextPrevious

Earth

Volcanoes and Earthquakes

How do we determine when ancient volcanic eruptions occurred?

The most common method used to date ancient volcanic eruptions is carbon dating. Carbon dating relies on the rate of radioactive decay of carbon–14. It is used to date eruptions that took place more than two hundred years ago. Charcoal from trees burned during a volcanic eruption is almost pure carbon and is ideal for tracing the tiny amounts of carbon–14.



Close

This is a web preview of the "The Handy Science Answer Book" app. Many features only work on your mobile device. If you like what you see, we hope you will consider buying. Get the App