Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T01:29:46.584Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Unreliability of 14C Dates Obtained from Buried Sandy Podzols

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Mebus A Geyh
Affiliation:
Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Bodenforschung, D 3000 Hannover, Federal Republic of Germany
Günter Roeschmann
Affiliation:
Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Bodenforschung, D 3000 Hannover, Federal Republic of Germany
T A Wijmstra
Affiliation:
Universiteit van Amsterdam, Hugo de Vries Laboratorium, NL 1018 BX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
A A Middeldorp
Affiliation:
Universiteit van Amsterdam, Hugo de Vries Laboratorium, NL 1018 BX Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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.

A test for the reliability of 14C dating of soil was made at two sites with buried, autochthonous, and in parts, allochthonous sandy podzols, dated either litho- and pedostratigraphically or palynologically. The differences between the age ranges obtained and the apparent mean residence times (AMRT) calculated from the 14C content of alkaline extracts from fossil soil layers and horizons lean in organic matter exceed 10,000 years, corresponding to a maximum contamination with recent carbon of up to 50 %. The use of correction factors for the apparent mean residence times of podzols is not valid, not even for climate zones, because these values have a broad scatter for the same profile.

Type
III. 14C Applications
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

References

Gerasimov, I P, 1971, Nature and originality of paleosols, in : Jerusalem, Israel Univ Press p 1527.Google Scholar
Gerasimov, I P, 1974, The age of recent soils: Geoderma, v 12, p 1725.Google Scholar
Geyh, M A, Benzler, J H, and Roeschmann, G, 1971, Problems of dating Pleistocene and Holocene soils by radiometric methods, in : Jerusalem, Israel Univ Press, p 6375.Google Scholar
Gilet-Blein, N, Marien, G, and Evin, J, 1980, Unreliability of 14C dates from organic matter of soils, in : Radiocarbon, v 22, no. 3, p 919929.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kuntze, H, Niemann, J, Roeschmann, G, and Schwerdtfeger, G, 1981, Bodenkunde: Stuttgart, Verlag Eugen Ulmer, 407 P.Google Scholar
Matthews, J A, 1981, Natural 14C age/depth gradient in a buried soil: Naturwissenschaften, v 68, p 472474.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paul, E A, Campbel, C A, Rennie, D A, and McCallum, K J, 1964, Investigations of the dynamics of soil humus utilizing carbon dating techniques: Internatl cong soil sci, 8th, Trans, v 3, p 201208.Google Scholar
Roeschmann, G, 1971, Problems concerning investigations of paleosols in older sedimentary rocks. Demonstrated by the example of Wurzelböden of the carboniferous system, in : Jerusalem, Israel Univ Press, p 311320.Google Scholar
Roeschmann, G, 1975, Zur Untersuchungsmethodik, pedogenetischen Deutung und Datierung fossiler Sandböden des Pleistozäns in Norddeutschland: Deutsch Bodenkundl Gesell Mitt, v 22, p 581590.Google Scholar
Scharpenseel, H W, 1971, Radiocarbon dating of soils - problems, troubles, hopes, in : Jerusalem, Israel Univ Press, p 7787.Google Scholar
Scharpenseel, H W, 1972, Natural radiocarbon measurement on soil organic matter fractions and on soil profiles of different pedogenesis, in : Wellington, p 382393.Google Scholar
Scharpenseel, H W and Schiffmann, H, 1977, Radiocarbon dating of soils: Pflanzenernähr Bodenkunde Zeitschr, v 140, p 159174.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scharpenseel, H W, 1979, Soil fraction dating, in : Los Angeles, Univ Calif Press, p 277283.Google Scholar
Scharpenseel, H W and Zakosek, H, 1979, Phasen und Bodenbildung in Tunesien: Geomorph N F Zeitschr, v 33, p 118126.Google Scholar
Scharpenseel, H W, Zakosek, H, Neue, U, and Schiffmann, H, 1980, Search for pedogenic phases during younger Pleistocene and Holocene (Soltanien and Rharbien) of Tunesia, in : Radiocarbon, v 22, no. 3, p 879884.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schoute, J F Th, Griede, J W, Mook, W G, and Roeleveld, W, 1981, Radiocarbon dating of vegetation horizons, illustrated by an example from the Holocene coastal plain in the northern Netherlands: Geol Mijnbouw, v 60, p 453459.Google Scholar
Van der Hammen, T and Wijmstra, T A, 1971, The Upper Quaternary of the Dinkel Valley (Twente, Eastern Overijssel, The Netherlands): Rijks Geol Dienst Medd, ns, v 22, p 55213.Google Scholar