Advancing technology has allowed radiocarbon dating to become accurate to within just a few decades in many cases. Since fossil fuels are millions of years old, they no longer contain any measurable amount of Carbon-14.

Is carbon 14 dating reliable?

They have their work cut out for them, however, because radiocarbon (C-14) dating is one of the most reliable of all the radiometric dating methods.

How is carbon dating used today?

This isotope lets scientists learn the ages of once-living things. Radiocarbon dating is a technique used by scientists to learn the ages of biological specimens – for example, wooden archaeological artifacts or ancient human remains – from the distant past. It can be used on objects as old as about 62,000 years.