Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-5r2nc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-11T22:17:08.971Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

14C Dating of Laser-Oxidized Organics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

A. L. Watchman ,
R. A. Lessard ,
A. J. T. Jull ,
L. J. Toolin  and
Weston Blake Jr.
A. L. Watchman
Affiliation:
Centre for Australian Regolith Studies, Australian National University, G.P.O. Box 4, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia Present address: 192 St.-Omer, Lévis, Québec, Canada G6V 5C7
R. A. Lessard
Affiliation:
Centre d'Optique, Photonique et Laser, Pavillon A.-Vachon, Université Laval, Québec, Canada G1K 7P4
A. J. T. Jull
Affiliation:
NSF-Arizona Accelerator Facility for Radioisotope Analysis, Physics Department, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721 USA
L. J. Toolin
Affiliation:
NSF-Arizona Accelerator Facility for Radioisotope Analysis, Physics Department, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721 USA
Weston Blake Jr.
Affiliation:
Terrain Sciences Division, Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Canada K1A 0E8
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

We used a continuous krypton ion laser to rapidly oxidize milligram-sized fragments of coniferous driftwood of known ages, and dated the resulting carbon dioxide by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). AMS 14C ages of non-pretreated young wood from different parts of two logs were within 10% of the ages of conventionally determined alkaline insoluble fractions. The age of the oldest whole wood measured after laser oxidation was within the error ranges of conventional values.

Type
Notes and Comments
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 35 , Issue 2 , 1993 , pp. 331 - 333
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

References

Blake, W. Jr. 1980 Radiocarbon dating of driftwood: Inter-laboratory checks on samples from Nordaustlandet, Svalbard. Geological Survey of Canada Paper 80-1C: 149–151.Google Scholar
Blake, W. Jr. 1986 Geological Survey of Canada radiocarbon dates XXVI. Geological Survey of Canada Paper 86–7: 1–60.Google Scholar
Dorn, R. I. 1983 Cation-ratio dating: A new rock varnish age determination technique. Quaternary Research 20: 49–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dorn, R. I., Clarkson, P. B., Nobbs, M. F., Loendorf, L. L. and Whitley, D. S. 1992 New approach to the radiocarbon dating of rock varnish, with examples from drylands. Annals Association American Geographers 82(1): 136–151.Google Scholar
Jull, A. J. T., Donahue, D. J., Hatheway, A. L., Linick, T. W. and Toolin, L. J. 1986 Production of graphite targets by deposition from CO/H2 for precision accelerator 14C measurements. in Long, A. and Kra, R. S., eds., Proceedings of the 12th International 14C Conference. Radiocarbon 28(2A): 191–197.Google Scholar
Lowdon, J. A and Blake, W. Jr. 1980 Geological Survey of Canada radiocarbon dates XX. Geological Survey of Canada Paper 80–7: 1–28.Google Scholar
Loy, T. H., Jones, R., Nelson, D. E., Meehan, B., Vogel, J., Southon, J. and Cosgrove, R. 1990 Accelerator radiocarbon dating of human blood proteins in pigments from Late Pleistocene art sites in Australia. Antiquity 64: 110–116.Google Scholar
Powell, M. D. and Kyser, T. K. 1991 Analysis of δ13C and δ18O in calcite, dolomite, rhodochrosite and siderite using a laser extraction system. Chemical Geology 94: 55–66.Google Scholar
Russ, J., Hyman, M. and Rowe, M. 1992 Direct radiocarbon dating of rock art. in Long, A. and Kra, R. S., eds., Proceedings of the 14th International 14C Conference. Radiocarbon 34(3): 867–872.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Russ, J., Hyman, M., Shafer, H. J. and Rowe, M.W. 1990 Radiocarbon dating of prehistoric rock paintings by selective oxidation of organic matter. Nature 348: 710–711.Google Scholar
Watchman, A. 1990 What are silica skins and how are they important in rock art conservation? Australian Aboriginal Studies 90(1): 21–29.Google Scholar
Watchman, A. 1991 Age and composition of oxalate-rich crusts in the Northern Territory, Australia. Studies in Conservation 36: 24–32.Google Scholar
Watchman, A. 1992 Composition, formation and age of some Australian silica skins. Australian Aboriginal Studies 92(1): 61–66.Google Scholar