Radiocarbon Dating Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

In 1988, three laboratories performed a radiocarbon analysis of the Turin Shroud. The results, which were centralized by the British Museum and published in Nature in 1989, provided ‘conclusive evidence’ of the medieval origin of the... more

In 1988, three laboratories performed a radiocarbon analysis of the Turin Shroud. The results, which were centralized by the British Museum and published in Nature in 1989, provided ‘conclusive evidence’ of the medieval origin of the artefact. However, the raw data were never released by the institutions. In 2017, in response to a legal request, all raw data kept by the British Museum were made accessible. A statistical analysis of the Nature article and the raw data strongly suggests that homogeneity is lacking in the data and that the procedure should be reconsidered.

Accurate geochronologies are the key for comparison of palaeoclimate records. In order to clarify problems concerning the geochronology of glacier fluctuations we dated palaeosols in moraines in the Kebnekaise mountain region of Swedish... more

Accurate geochronologies are the key for comparison of palaeoclimate records. In order to clarify problems concerning the geochronology of glacier fluctuations we dated palaeosols in moraines in the Kebnekaise mountain region of Swedish Lapland. These palaeosols already have been dated several years ago using bulk samples of the palaeosols and yielded ages of 6180–5790 and 2750–2100 cal yr BP. In an attempt to evaluate the sources of contamination associated with bulk samples these soils were re-dated by using Coleoptera fragments, Cenococcum geophilum spores, humic acids and woody plant tissues. The new dates reveal that the two palaeosols found within the moraines represent much longer periods of time than was previously assumed. Soil formation periods can be distinguished for periods 7800–7580, 6300–4080, 2450–2000 and 1170–740 cal yr BP. These age groups point to differentiated soil formation processes, resedimentation, bioturbation and/or cryoturbation. The results show that dated terrestrial macrofossils from glacial moraines indicate climate changes that are in accordance with other proxy records in northern and central Scandinavia and in certain times off-phase with glacier fluctuations in southern maritime Norway. This throws light on possible changing interaction of forcing factors during the Holocene.

The paper gives a historical outline of the views on the correlation between radiocarbon and archaeological chronology and presents the results of the first statistical analysis of large arrays of radiocarbon dates obtained over a long... more

The paper gives a historical outline of the views on the correlation between radiocarbon and archaeological
chronology and presents the results of the first statistical analysis of large arrays of radiocarbon dates obtained
over a long period of time in different laboratories for the East Gravettian campsites of Kostenki 1
(layer 1), Avdeevo, Zaraysk and Khotylevo 2. Chronological episodes of populating the campsites have
been identified, and appear to ref lect a multistage (or stepwise) accumulation of the cultural layer. The
studies have shown the feasibility of conducting statistical analysis alongside with investigating the microstratigraphy
and overall spatial structure of a site, since that allows cross-validation of the results.

Methods for Bayesian statistical analysis of stratigraphically related radiocarbon dates have been in use for over a decade. This paper extends these techniques to stratigraphically related ESR dates, allowing estimation of the dates of... more

Methods for Bayesian statistical analysis of stratigraphically related radiocarbon dates have been in use for over a decade. This paper extends these techniques to stratigraphically related ESR dates, allowing estimation of the dates of events not directly dated. A hierarchical model of the uncertainties in ESR dating is developed, to account for the correlation of error terms between samples. Using the new method, an analysis is made of the dating at Border Cave, Kwa Zulu Natal, South Africa. The results for individual dates and the dating of layer boundaries are more precise than previously obtained. The hominid fossils BC1 and BC2 are placed at either 71–91 ka (95% highest posterior density—hpd) or 152–171 ka (95% hpd) depending on the stratigraphic provenance assigned. BC3 is dated to 66–90 ka and BC5 to 61–72 ka (both 95% hpd). The estimated duration of the Howieson's Poort industry at Border Cave is demonstrated to have significant uncertainty, and the ESR dates, even with the increased precision of this analysis, are unable to decide between hypotheses that the industry lasted 10 ka and that it lasted 20 ka.

Radiocarbon-dated elevated marine deposits and the record of anthropogenic and natural debris in archaeological deposits on the west coast of South Africa indicate that significant coastal remodelling has taken place in the past 4300... more

Radiocarbon-dated elevated marine deposits and the record of anthropogenic and natural debris in archaeological deposits on the west coast of South Africa indicate that significant coastal remodelling has taken place in the past 4300 years in response to sea level change. Geological and archaeological investigation of elevated deposits of sub-fossil shell, abandoned lagoons, and washover bars has shown that many

Introduction The Oslofjord region in SE-Norway has been subject to steady glacio-isostatic uplift during the whole Holocene. The final retreat of the ice at the termination of the last glacial took place in this area between 13,900... more

Introduction The Oslofjord region in SE-Norway has been subject to steady glacio-isostatic uplift during the whole Holocene. The final retreat of the ice at the termination of the last glacial took place in this area between 13,900 (retreat from Hvaler ice-marginal ridge) and 11,500 years BP (retreat from Ski ice-marginal ridge). Since then, the area has been characterized by continuous

This paper discusses the Bronze Age archeological finds discovered during the course of the follow up road works around Cerdanyola del Vallès Synchrotron, near Barelona. This consists of a grouping of three pits: a funerary hypogeum, with... more

This paper discusses the Bronze Age archeological finds discovered
during the course of the follow up road works around
Cerdanyola del Vallès Synchrotron, near Barelona. This consists of
a grouping of three pits: a funerary hypogeum, with six individuals
buried and two silos. The study of the unearthed pottery, as well
as the attainment of four radiocarbon dating have allowed to lay
down the chronological framework in a period of consolidation
of the Bronze Age. It also includes an interpretation of the ritual
character documented in one of the pits near the burial structure.
It deserves special attention the discovery of a fragment of an
engraved stone, perhaps part of a stele.

Pollen analysis, soil micromorphology and radiocarbon dating have been the main scientific tools to unlock palaeoecological information from palaeosols during the past decades. In recent years, the application of optically stimulated... more

Pollen analysis, soil micromorphology and radiocarbon dating have been the main scientific tools to unlock palaeoecological information from palaeosols during the past decades. In recent years, the application of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating on polycyclic driftsand profiles and plaggic deposits has been shown to be of great added value to understand the geochronology of the evolution of soils and

The small insular group of Mykonos–Delos–Rhenia in Cyclades, Greece, and the southern coast of Turkey from Andriake to Arsuz show three bands of beachrocks, emerged up to + 0.35 m and submerged sometimes down to − 4.3 m. Because... more

The small insular group of Mykonos–Delos–Rhenia in Cyclades, Greece, and the southern coast of Turkey from Andriake to Arsuz show three bands of beachrocks, emerged up to + 0.35 m and submerged sometimes down to − 4.3 m. Because beachrocks are formed within the intertidal zone by carbonate cementation of the beach deposits during stages of shoreline stabilisation (both eustatic and tectonic), they correspond to different generations indicating different sea level stands.11 sites on the southern coast of Turkey and 7 bays on the insular group of Mykonos–Delos–Rhenia were studied. 52 beachrock samples were analysed by polarizing microscope, cathodoluminescence and SEM. This study indicated that carbonate elements that constitute most of the samples were at least partly incorporated within the intertidal zone. The adequate method for radiocarbon dating (total sample or cement) was decided according to these observations. Because diagenetic cements seemed difficult to extract manually and the sources of carbonate pollution are limited in Mykonos–Delos–Rhenia, we performed 14C AMS dating on total samples. On the southern coast of Turkey, due to the abundance of micrite in between the limestone pebbles that often constitute the beachrocks, available cements had to be manually extracted for 14C AMS dating.The dates obtained from Mykonos–Delos–Rhenia beachrocks indicate 3 separate sea level stands: the first one at about − 3.6 m (± 0.5 m) around 2000 BC, the second one at about − 2.5 m (± 0.5 m) around 400 BC and finally the third sea level at about − 1 m (± 0.5 m) around 1000 AD. On the southern coast of Turkey, several relative sea level positions in 4 areas (I to IV) are recognised. From Finike Bay to the west (area I), a post-Roman relative sea level rise is observed after a period of coastline stabilisation. The area from the east of Finike Peninsula to Çimtur (area II) witnessed relative sea level rise since mid-Holocene interrupted by 3 phases of stability corresponding to beachrock bands. Two levels have been dated. The first one is between 0 m and − 0.8 m and dates from 5th to 7th century AD. The second one is between − 1.5 m and − 2.2 m and dates around 7th to 6th century BC. From Incekum to Karataş–Osmaniye Fault Zone to the south of Adana (area III), the shoreline was raised around + 0.5 m after 19 BC–200 AD and later becomes stable at least since the 12th century AD as can be interpreted from archaeological remains. To the east, beachrocks in Gözcüler (area IV) indicate a relative sea level rise interrupted by a phase of coastline stabilisation between 0 m and − 0.5 m from the 4th to the 7th century AD. Our southern Turkish coastline observations reveal a very dynamic tectonic regime – mainly subsidence to the west and uplift to the east – since at least mid-Holocene.The comparison of the results obtained from Greece and Turkey indicates a tectonic subsidence during the last 6000 years in the centre of Cyclades.

Since its invention in the late 1940s, radiocarbon (14C) dating has become an important tool for absolute dating. A prerequisite for the acceptance of this method is consistency between, and compatibility of, 14C dates from different... more

Since its invention in the late 1940s, radiocarbon (14C) dating has become an important tool for absolute dating. A prerequisite for the acceptance of this method is consistency between, and compatibility of, 14C dates from different laboratories. To meet these requirements, international laboratory intercomparison studies with different sample materials are frequently performed (e.g. TIRI, FIRI, VIRI and, most recently, SIRI).Intercomparison is especially relevant and difficult for samples close to the dating limit of ~50 kBP, not least for bone samples. A 14C intercomparison study between the Leibniz-Laboratory in Kiel (Germany), the Center for Isotope Research (CIO) in Groningen (the Netherlands), and the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit (ORAU, United Kingdom) was performed on three Pleistocene (MIS3) mammal bone samples from the Brick Quarry site Coenen (BQC) in Germany. The comparison of individually prepared and measured bone collagen 14C activities, results from shared collagen measurements, and respective background signatures and correction points to the latter as the main factor responsible for observed differences in final given radiocarbon estimates.

This study estimates the maximum and minimum degrees of autocompaction for radiocarbon-dated Holocene mangrove sediments in Singapore, in order to correct apparent sediment accretion rates for the effects of sediment compression due to... more

This study estimates the maximum and minimum degrees of autocompaction for radiocarbon-dated Holocene mangrove sediments in Singapore, in order to correct apparent sediment accretion rates for the effects of sediment compression due to autocompaction. Relationships developed for a suite of modern (surface) sediment samples between bulk density, particle-size distribution, and organic matter content were used to estimate the initial (uncompacted) bulk density of buried and variably compressed Holocene sediments, based on the grain-size distribution and organic matter content of the sediment. The difference between measured (compacted) and initial (uncompacted) bulk density of each buried sediment interval can be interpreted as the amount of length shortening experienced by each interval since burial. This allows the elevation of samples selected for 14C dating to be corrected for the effects of autocompaction of the underlying sediment sequence, so that accurate estimates of vertical...

Cette étude évalue l’abondance des graines d’Erythrophleum suaveolens dans la banque de semences du sol des forêts denses humides d’Afrique centrale. Les travaux ont été menés au Nord-Congo dans deux types forestiers : la forêt à Celtis... more

Cette étude évalue l’abondance des graines d’Erythrophleum suaveolens dans la banque de semences du sol des forêts denses humides d’Afrique centrale. Les travaux ont été menés au Nord-Congo dans deux types forestiers : la forêt à Celtis sur des sols argilo-sableux à sablo-argileux et la forêt à Manilkara sur des sols sableux. Les tiges d’E. suaveolens (dhp ≥ 10 cm) ont été inventoriées dans deux blocs de 400 ha, et les structures diamétriques de leurs populations ont été comparées. En outre, 80 fosses (2 x 40 fosses par type de forêt) ont été creusées au pied de 20 arbres (10 par forêt), sur trois couches contiguës de 10 cm chacune, soit à une profondeur totale de 30 cm, et l’abondance des graines dans la banque de semences du sol a été évaluée. La dormance des graines récoltées a été testée par des essais de germination après traitement au H2SO4 et cinq graines prélevées jusqu'à une profondeur de 20 cm dans la forêt à Celtis ont été utilisées pour estimer leur âge par spectroscopie de masse par accélérateur (AMS). Dans les deux types forestiers, les structures diamétriques présentent une distribution gaussienne, illustrant un déficit de régénération. Alors que les densités de tiges (dhp ≥ 10 cm) sont proches, avec 0,85 et 1,05 tige/ha respectivement, dans la forêt à Celtis et la forêt à Manilkara. Les densités de graines sont significativement plus élevées dans la forêt à Celtis (8,55 graines/m2) que dans la forêt à Manilkara (0,15 graine/m2). Le pourcentage maximum de germination obtenu était de 19,1 % pour des graines n’ayant subi aucun traitement. Les lots traités à l’acide ont présenté de moindres taux de germination. Ces graines semblent pouvoir se conserver une dizaine d’années au moins dans la banque du sol. Les facteurs pouvant influencer les variations de densité des graines sont discutés et des recommandations sylvicoles sont formulées.

A multidisciplinary study has been carried out on a 51 m long core, drilled on coastal lowlands near the Albegna River (Tuscany, Central Italy). Both sedimentological and faunal analyses (ostracods and molluscs) indicate a coastal lagoon... more

A multidisciplinary study has been carried out on a 51 m long core, drilled on coastal lowlands near the Albegna River (Tuscany, Central Italy). Both sedimentological and faunal analyses (ostracods and molluscs) indicate a coastal lagoon environment repeatedly influenced both by the rising Holocene sea and the Albegna River alluvial inflow. δ13C, δ18O, Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and 87Sr/86Sr analyses were performed on Cyprideis torosa shells in order to detail the influence of Albegna River freshwater on the coastal lagoon water. The analytical data illustrate the difficulties of using geochemical proxies in marginal marine settings. Four radiocarbon dates provide a chronostratigraphy for the early Holocene part of the core. The data are used to reconstruct Late Pleistocene to early Holocene palaeoenvironments along this part of the coast and show the development of freshwater environments followed by a coastal brackish lagoon formed in response to the initial Holocene rapid rise in relative sea level. An attempt is made to relate sediments and age data from the core to the relative sea-level curve for the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Radiocarbon-dated pollen sequences from two areas of Bodmin Moor—Rough Tor in the north-west and the East Moor—are presented and the evidence for settlement in the prehistoric period on the moor considered. The nature and extent of human... more

Radiocarbon-dated pollen sequences from two areas of Bodmin Moor—Rough Tor in the north-west and the East Moor—are presented and the evidence for settlement in the prehistoric period on the moor considered. The nature and extent of human impact in the two areas ...

The Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition is a key period of change in the prehistory of the Old World and one of the most studied issues in paleoanthropology, as the nature of the transition(s) is still, after at least a century of... more

The Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition is a key period of change in the prehistory of the Old World and one of the most studied issues in paleoanthropology, as the nature of the transition(s) is still, after at least a century of archaeological research, largely unknown. Many of the issues at stake in the transition relate to the problem of building a reliable chronology for this period, which is at the limits of the radiocarbon method. The papers in this volume show that much progress has been made in our chronological knowledge of significant aspects of the transition, such as the age of the most recent Neandertal fossils and the earliest modern human remains in Europe, and the inferred overlap between the Châtelperronian and the Aurignacian. At the same time, the volume also shows where the chronological database for the period 40 to 30 ka 14C BP is flawed and that significant contextual and methodological problems have been underestimated in a number of studies of the biological and cultural changes during this crucial period. Chronology is employed by paleoanthropologists to relate the record of the Middle to Upper Paleolithic transition to major biological and cultural developments. This paper takes a broader paleoanthropological perspective and attempts to evaluate and, to some degree, synthesize the main results of these proceedings, while also presenting a brief discussion of the Middle and Upper Paleolithic archaeological and fossil records, and possible explanations for the differences between the two, focusing on the role of differences in the ecology of Neandertals and early European modern humans.