Radiocarbon Dating of Travertines Precipitated from Freshwater

Abstract

We have studied the isotopic composition of recently precipitated travertines to determine the initial 14C activity of ancient travertine deposits. We found that the 14C activity of recent travertines of northeastern Spain was a function of the distance from the spring, resulting in variations in the initial 14C activity of the ancient travertine formations. We calculated the ancient travertine radiocarbon ages by using the ratio between the 14C activity of recent travertines and that of present atmospheric CO2 as the initial 14C activity.