all traces of carbon-14 would be long gone after 14 billion years.
I don’t think anyone would seriously say that Theia is 14 billion years old. The universe is about 14 billion years old. None of the planets of our solar system developed until about 4.6 billion years ago, and I wouldn’t think the upper limit for the development of the hypothetical planet Theia (if indeed it ever did exist) could be much more than that 4.6 billion years ago figure. That said, your point certainly stands that Theia would be far older than that up “to about 60,000 years ago” figure, so carbon dating is inapplicable to any discussion around evidence for/against the Theia hypothesis.
Theia… is a hypothetical ancient planet in the early Solar System which, according to the giant-impact hypothesis, collided with the proto-Earth around 4.50 billion years ago…
I don’t think anyone would seriously say that Theia is 14 billion years old. The universe is about 14 billion years old. None of the planets of our solar system developed until about 4.6 billion years ago, and I wouldn’t think the upper limit for the development of the hypothetical planet Theia (if indeed it ever did exist) could be much more than that 4.6 billion years ago figure. That said, your point certainly stands that Theia would be far older than that up “to about 60,000 years ago” figure, so carbon dating is inapplicable to any discussion around evidence for/against the Theia hypothesis.
I just wrote the wrong number. Thing said 4.5b
Citation needed
(Emphasas mine.)