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Variability in Radiocarbon Dates in Middle Pleniglacial Wood from Kurtak (Central Siberia)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 July 2016

P Haesaerts ,
F Damblon ,
N Drozdov ,
V Checha  and
J van der Plicht
P Haesaerts*
Affiliation:
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
F Damblon
Affiliation:
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
N Drozdov
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Academgorodok, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
V Checha
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Academgorodok, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
J van der Plicht
Affiliation:
Center for Isotope Research, Groningen University, Nijenborgh 4,9747 AG Groningen, the Netherlands. Also: Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, PO Box 9515, 2300RA Leiden, the Netherlands
*
2. Corresponding author. Email: [email protected].
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Abstract

The chronology of long Upper Pleistocene loess sequences in Eurasia is based on combined pedostratigraphy and radiocarbon dating of high-quality charcoal. The accuracy of such a chronology depends on the reproducibility and precision of the 14C dates. However, certain dates may show discrepancies with regard to their chronostratigraphic context based on series of coherent dates. In order to evaluate the consistency and variation in the 14C dates obtained from small charcoal pieces, this question was tested on a set of spruce wood remains with well-preserved tree rings found in the Middle Pleniglacial loess-loam sequence of Kurtak (central Siberia). Tree-ring analysis of five fairly large wood pieces from three successive layers, dated to about 30.0, 30.8, and 32.2–32.5 ka BP previously, was done by continuous sampling of 90–150 rings on each wood piece. This enabled direct comparison of the succession of tree rings with the 14C dates. A total of 133 dates was obtained for the five wood pieces. The results show fluctuations in the 14C dates within a time range between 1000 and 2000 yr. Four possible causes for such variation will be discussed herein: (1) internal variability of the AMS dating method; (2) outliers; (3) variations in the 14C background; and (4) external factors such as past atmospheric 14C variations.

Type
Articles
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 56 , Issue 3 , 2014 , pp. 1195 - 1206
Copyright
Copyright © 2014 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

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