Radiocarbon, Volume 28, Number 2A (1986)
ABOUT THIS COLLECTION
Radiocarbon is the main international journal of record for research articles and date lists relevant to 14C and other radioisotopes and techniques used in archaeological, geophysical, oceanographic, and related dating.
This archive provides access to Radiocarbon Volumes 1-54 (1959-2012).
As of 2016, Radiocarbon is published by Cambridge University Press. The journal is published quarterly. Radiocarbon also publishes conference proceedings and monographs on topics related to fields of interest. Visit Cambridge Online for new Radiocarbon content and to submit manuscripts.
ISSN: 0033-8222
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Recent Submissions
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Radiocarbon, Volume 28, Number 2A (Proceedings of the 12th International Radiocarbon Conference, 1986)American Journal of Science, 1986-01-01
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Validity of 14C Ages of Carbonates in SedimentsThis review is based on geologic surveys carried out in Australia and China as well as on more than 300 14C dates published in Radiocarbon. Evaluated are the origins and pathways of carbonate formation, stable isotopic composition, carbonate nodule growth rates and paleo-climatic effects. The three identified delta-13C abundance peaks are unrelated to environment and carbon source whilst 14C ages group themselves into periods corresponding to past humid warm climate. It is concluded that the major error in caliche dating is due to incorporation of old limestone whilst error on nodule dating is related to their slow growth rate. Thus, caliche antedates and nodules postdate the times of their deposition. delta-13C values cannot be used to correct for limestone or atmospheric contamination effects
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Use of AMS 14C Analysis in the Study of Problems in Aspartic Acid Racemization-Deduced Age Estimates on BoneMajor discordances between AMS 14C- and aspartic acid racemization (AAR)deduced age estimates on bone samples have led to an examination of factors other than time and temperature that can fundamentally influence the degree of racemization observed in fossil bone. Our studies support previous suggestions that for many bone samples the chemical state of amino acids must be routinely considered if AAR-deduced age estimates are to be used to make meaningful chronologic inferences.
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Urban Atmospheric 14CO and 14CH4 Measurements by Accelerator Mass SpectrometryAtmospheric gas samples (0.1 m3) were collected at ground level during January/February 1984 in Las Vegas, Nevada for 14C/13C accelerator mass spectrometry and total abundance measurements of CO and CH4. During winter months in this locale, CO concentrations can occur at 10 to 100 times background, occasionally exceeding the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS). Methane concentrations show a slight enhancement (-24%) above the background (non-urban troposphere) level. A comparison of CO and CH4 concentrations shows a good linear correlation which may indicate a common source. Preliminary 14C/13C results of the two species suggest that fossil emissions are the predominant source of excess CO and CH4 in the samples taken. Estimates of anthropogemc CO and CH4 are important for source apportionment of combustion emissions. In addition, this information is valuable for understanding the global CO and CH4 cycles and, therefore, human impact on climate and the stratospheric ozone layer.
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Uptake of Anthropogenic CO2 by Lateral Transport Models of the Ocean Based on the Distribution of Bomb-Produced 14CThe pattern of global water column inventories of bomb-produced 14C suggests that a sizeable portion of bomb 14C that entered the Antarctic, northern Pacific, and tropical oceans has been transported to adjacent temperate regions. Models of lateral transport of surface water in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans are based on this distribution pattern. Upwelling of bomb-14C-free water from below takes place in the Antarctic, northern Pacific, and tropical regions; downwelling of surface water occurs in the temperate oceans and northern Atlantic. Uptake of excess CO2 by these models is calculated using the observed Mauna Loa pCO2 record as an input function. Results indicate that 35% of fossil fuel CO2 is taken up by these model oceans during the period 1.958-1980. Considering the observed airborne fraction of 0.55, it appears that ca 10% of the global fossil fuel CO2 is still missing.
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Trends of 13C/12C Ratios in Pinyon Tree Rings of the American Southwest and the Global Carbon CycleAn accurate atmospheric 13C/12C chronology can provide important constraints to models of the global carbon cycle. Trees accumulate carbon from atmospheric CO2 into growth rings and offer potential for 13C/12C reconstructions, but results have not been reproducible. This paper presents 5 degree C curves from 5 sites, representing 20 pinyon (Pinus edulis) trees, where cores of 4 trees from each site have been pooled into a composite sample. Isotopic analysis of cellulose in 5-yr ring groups produces curves with a general trend of decreasing 5 degree C after 1800, but with pronounced short-term fluctuations superimposed upon the trend. Evidence indicates the fluctuations are strongly related to moisture availability (drought). A mean curve of the 5 delta-13C chronologies from which the fossil-fuel component is subtracted suggests a substantial biospheric CO2 contribution to the atmosphere since 1800.
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Thin Layer delta-13C and Delta-14C Monitoring of "Lessive" Soil ProfilesThe natural 14C and 13C content of soil organic matter and their dependence on depth for two Alfisols are presented. This soil type which covers a large area of the earth's surface is characterized by clay migration processes ("Lessivé"). The samples were taken as successive horizontal layers of 2cm depth from an area of ca 1 m2 size as deep as the C content allows 14C analysis. The minima of the D14C distribution decrease with depth, while the maxima increase in the upper, leached horizon (A1) due to bomb 14C and decrease in the lower, clay illuviated (Bt). delta-13C indicates proceeding decomposition in Al and protection of carbon, probably due to the formation of clay humus complexes in Bt. delta-13C values were also used for age correction of the 14C data due to isotopic fractionation. The D14C and delta-3C depth distributions are characterized by sharp peaks at the boundaries of the horizons, probably caused by the influence of textural changes on the transport of C with percolating water.
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Toward a Thesaurus of Radiocarbon Dating and Related TermsThe development of a Thesaurus of Radiocarbon Dating and Related Terms was undertaken to provide a basic common vocabulary of terms for the purpose of indexing an Annotated Bibliography of Radiocarbon Dating (1948-68) and form the basis of a language for information storage and retrieval in 14C dating and related term areas. The interdisciplinary nature of 14C dating dictates that selected terms have meanings in the context of archaeology, geology, earth sciences, oceanography, and environmental sciences, to name but a few, as well as chemistry and nuclear instrumentation on which the technique of 14C determinations is based. This paper describes the method used for selection of terms and explains the structure of the proposed thesaurus. A limited edition Draft Thesaurus was distributed to a selected panel of colleagues for critical evaluation.
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The Use of Natural and Anthropogenic 14C to Investigate the Dynamics of Soil Organic CarbonRadiocarbon has been measured in two soil profiles, one of which has been covered by a building since 1956. A comparison of the Delta-14C values in horizons of each profile gives an estimate of the total input of atom bomb 14C into the soil profile. From the Delta-14C and carbon density profile data, the carbon input rates, respiration rates, and diffusivity are calculated. The lack of vegetation on one soil affects the mobility and the respiration rate of the soil carbon in that soil. The data from this soil profile are also used to check the assumption, used in previous analyses, that there is a uniform distribution of "old" carbon down the soil profile. The input rate, turnover time, and diffusivity parameters determined from the Delta-14C profiles in these soils are compared with other published data on pasture and forest soils.
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The Temporal Distribution of 'Bomb' 14C in a Forest SoilPatterns of 14C enrichment in the superficial plant debris and mineral soil horizons of an established woodland have been monitored at regular intervals during the past 15 years. These data are compared with a model evaluation of carbon turnover based on the recorded changes in atmospheric 14C concentration since AD 1900. Leaf litter and decomposing plant debris are characterized by steady-state turnover values of ca 2 and ca 8 years, respectively. A two-component system of `fast' (less than or equal to 20 yr) and `slow' (ca 350 yr) cycling carbon is indicated for the surface (0-5cm) soil humus; below 10cm, the `fast' component is rare (<5%). Selective microbal humification of leaf litter, branch, and root debris is proposed to explain a delay of several years in the peak transfer of `bomb' 14C to the soil carbon pool.
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The Prehistoric Expansion of Farming Into "Arctic" Norway: A Chronology Based on 14C DatingPalynologic and archaeologic studies using 14C dating indicate that elements of farming were introduced even further north than the Arctic Circle during the Neolithic period, ca 4000 BP. A second stage with heavier reliance on farming and with probable establishment of permanent farmsteads is dated to 2000-2500 BP.
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The Potential of the London Underground for Liquid Scintillation CountingA portable gamma spectrometer has been used to survey three locations that are part of the London Underground Transport System (the "tube"). Up to an order of magnitude reduction in the cosmic ray flux was observed relative to the laboratory level. The likely reduction in background count rate achievable by underground siting of currently used Packard and LKB liquid scintillation counters is considered. It is noted that in the present, surface usage for radiocarbon dating, the background count rate of low-potassium glass vials in the LKB is not substanially higher than that of PTFE vials.
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The Power of 14C Measurements Combined with Chemical Characterization for Tracing Urban Aerosol in NorwayChanging fuel patterns and increased awareness of health effects from combustion aerosols have generated considerable interest in the use of 14C as a biogenic-fossil aerosol source discriminator. Prior studies in the US demonstrated the importance of 14C measurement for estimating the wood-burning contribution to urban aerosols. The present work treats a specific air-pollution problem in the town of Elverum, Norway where large wintertime concentrations of aerosol carbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were suspected to come from residential woodl combustion (RWC). The problem was significant in that up to 50 micrograms/m3[C] and 490 micrograms/m3[PAH] were found during pollution episodes. Samples collected during two winters were analyzed for C, C, PAH, and several elements in the fine fraction (<3 micrometers) aerosol. Source apportionment based on these species indicated an average of ca 65% RWC-carbon (14C), ca 5% fine particle mass from motor vehicles (Pb), but negligible contributions from heavy fuel oil (Ni, V). Patterns of 14C and total C, examined as a function of temperature and PAH, indicated large increases in RWC aerosol on the coldest days, and a major RWC contribution to the PAH fraction. Patterns with inorganic species implied multiple tracer sources, and one important case of long-range transport.
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The Effects of Contamination of Calcareous Sediments on Their Radiocarbon AgesTwo principal reasons for the inherent uncertainty in 14C dating of calcareous sediments such as tufa or those of lacustrine origin are the unknown initial 14C activity (A0) of the sediment, mainly affecting younger (Holocene) samples, and contamination of older sediments with recent carbonate, causing 14C ages to be excessively young. To assess the contamination effect, samples of old tufa from the Riss/Würm interglacial were examined. These sediments contain essentially no 14C except that contributed by surface contamination. Tufa samples were crushed and grains ranging in size from <1 mm, 1 to 2mm, up to 4 to 5mm were separated for analysis; 2M HCl was then used to dissolve the samples in successive steps. 14C measurements indicated that each subsequent soluble fraction obtained from porous tufa gave a successively older age, indicating that the surface of the sample was contaminated by younger carbonates. No consistent effect of grain size on the 14C age was observed. Compact tufa proved to be less subject to contamination. 14C ages obtained on this material were also too young, yet older than the age obtained from porous tufa samples. C ages of interglacial tufa were cross-checked with the 230Th/234U dating method, using samples of very clean calcite which overlies the tufa blocks. Inferred 230Th/234U ages of the interglacial tufa (which had yielded 14C dates ranging from 25,000 to 37,000 yr) coincided with the last interglacial (Riss/Wurm, Stage 5). Samples of Holocene tufa, in which contributions of recent 14C from surface contamination would pose less of a problem, yielded 14C and 230Th/234U dates which were in excellent agreement.
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The ETH/SIN Dating Facility: A Status ReportThe ETH/SIN AMS dating facility is routinely used for 10Be,14C, 26Al, and 36Cl measurements. The present status and performance of this facility are reviewed and some of its major applications summarized.
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The Influence of Contaminating (Fossil) Carbonate and the Variations of delta-13C in Mortar DatingThe influence of the aggregate in mortar dating is examined. Sample activity as well as isotopic fractionation approach the expected values at lower yields of the preparation reaction of the counting gas. Good results are obtained at low fossil carbonate concentration. delta-13C cannot give information about this concentration but preliminary visual and chemical analysis of the mortar makes prediction of sample validity possible.
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The Development of Practical Systems for 14C Measurement in Small Samples Using Miniature CountersMiniature gas counters have been in use since the early 1960s for the measurement of 14C but were for a long time seen as suitable for providing approximate indications of activity rather than measurements for more precise dates. In recent years the need for better measurements of small samples has posed a continuing challenge for the 14C laboratories. This paper examines how the challenge has been met across the world using conventional beta decay counting techniques and proportional gas counters of 50ml volume or less. A survey is made of the rise of these techniques and attention paid to the solution through modern technology of earlier problems. Some practical systems, now in routine use, are described and consideration is given to the future for miniature counter measurements. Such systems have several attractive features that will guarantee their usefulness in 14C measurements for the future.