Anomalous High 14C Activity Found in Recent Corals from the Philippines

Abstract

The carbonate skeletons of small living corals collected in Spring 1981 from Cebu Island, the Philippines, had 14C activities up to 147% of recent standard. Similarly high values were found in the carbonate structure of three large coral heads, where the 14C content of six penetrating cores was measured. In these corals the activity of the outer parts grown since 1960 reached values as high as 155% (corrected for delta-13C = -25 per mil) while the inner part grown from 1860 to 1950 had values of 106 to 110%. The 14C content of corals should be ca 116% due to the atomic bomb effect and 95% before 1955. The samples were taken from the shore, exposed to tidal waters, so that local contamination is improbable. Organic samples collected from the same region showed normal 14C activity.