In terms of both quenching and, in particular, counting efficiency, scintillation counters employing burst counting circuitry are sensitive to changes in scintillant concentration. Our research demonstrates that there are plateau regions where neither parameter is significantly influenced by moderate changes in a cocktail containing butyl - PBD and bis - MSB. One of these, consisting of butyl - PBD 2.8mg.g-1 and bis - MSB 3mg.g-1 of benzene is recommended for these counters, as it enables open window counting efficiencies of ca 90% while exhibiting optimal resistance to quenching. A method for accurate dispensing of such small weights is also described.

I discuss here the basis of a comparison of methods for radiocarbon dating and introduce a new index for the relative merit of a system, factor of counting capacity, that is generally more appropriate than the commonly used factor of merit. The merit of a dating system cannot be based on a single figure but other factors must also be considered. A comparison of the gas proportional, liquid scintillation and accelerator mass spectrometry technique is presented that for gas proportional counters is based on a multi-detector system rather than a single detector.

Detailed stable oxygen isotope analyses coupled with AMS 14C measurements on an eastern Mediterranean sapropel S1 sequence indicate that adverse bottom conditions persisted for ca 8000 years. AMS dates on additional sequences show that complete bottom anoxia lasted for 300-800 years. The S1 event is not synchronous throughout the eastern Mediterranean, but started earlier in the deeper parts of the basin.

In 1983, the University of Barcelona, the Institut d'Estudis Catalans and the Department of Culture of the Generalitat de Catalunya agreed to establish a laboratory for radiocarbon measurement at the Analytical Chemistry Department of the University of Barcelona. The liquid scintillation technique was chosen for radiocarbon counting. The counting laboratory is in the basement of a six-story building.

Between the Alaska Range to the south and the Brooks Range to the north, the Yukon River and its tributaries form an extensive network of waterways leading through the lowlands of interior Alaska deep into the North American continent (Fig 1). Despite the extremely cold winters of this arctic and subarctic landscape, much of the region remained unglaciated during the last 50,000 years. The central Alaskan lowlands are at the west end of the “ice-free corridor,” thought by most prehistorians to be the pathway to the Americas for Asian hunter-gatherers crossing the continental Beringian “landbridge.” Until recently, relatively little was known of the early human prehistory of Alaska's interior. Growing interest in the timing, nature and paleoecological context of the initial peopling of the Americas has prompted excavation at a number of early sites in central Alaska and the adjacent Yukon (see Powers & Hamilton 1978; West 1981; Fagan 1987: 119-134; Hamilton 1989; Powers & Hoffecker 1989).

The following list consists of dates, obtained by liquid scintillation counting of benzene, for archaeologic samples mostly measured between June 1987 and October 1989.

Charcoal and grain samples were pretreated with 1M HCl followed by washing in water and, where considered necessary, with dilute alkali for the removal of humic acids. Wood samples were treated either in the same way, or, where large enough, were reduced to cellulose by the action of chlorine dioxide produced in situ. All antler and bone samples were treated with cold dilute acid. The term ‘collagen’ is used throughout to mean the acid insoluble organic fraction produced by this treatment. Peat samples were treated with dilute acid and alkali to separate the humin and humic acid fractions, which were dated individually.

We converted to CO2 samples of organic materials, Quaternary carbonate rocks and carbonates extracted from groundwater. We measured 14C radioactivity in a proportional counter with an effective volume of 723ml filled to 0.28MPa. A mechanical box with an inside cylinder of a plastic scintillator, 4cm thick, arranged in anticoincidence provides the shielding. We present a review of radiocarbon ages of Quaternary and archaeological samples.

The results in this list come from our earlier years of operation and form part of the special series of lists being prepared to clear the backlog of unpublished dates from this laboratory, in this case 49 samples coming from sites in and around Northampton, UK. They originate from excavations directed by John Williams and Helen M Bamford of the Northampton Development Corporation between 1973 and 1982, and all were submitted for measurement and paid for by the Ancient Monuments Laboratory of the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England and Wales.

This is the third of the series of lists of English archaeologic dates submitted to Harwell for measurement by the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England and Wales within a prescribed contractual period. This list of 155 dates covers the period April 1987 to March 1988 and results are reported whether the associated projects are completed or on-going.

The results presented in this list were obtained from 1986 to 1989. Equipment, measurement and treatment of samples are as reported previously (Kanwiszer & Trzeciak 1984: 111). Age calculations are based on a contemporary value equal to 95% of the activity of NBS oxalic acid standard and on the conventional half-life for 14C of 5568 ± 30 years. Results are reported in years before 1950 (years BP). Errors quoted (± 1σ) include standard deviations of count rates for the unknown sample, contemporary standard and background. The dates are not corrected for 13C fractionation. Descriptions and comments are based on information supplied by submitters of samples.

This list includes dates from Italy, Libyan Sahara, Niger and the Dahlak Islands, obtained from 1976 to 1980, using the benzene scintillation method.

Chemical processing from sample to benzene follows procedures of Alessio et al (1978a). Standard pretreatment for wood and charcoal included boiling with 5–10% HCL.

This list includes some significant measurements carried out by CRAD Radiocarbon Laboratory from 1979 to 1985. The dates were obtained by liquid scintillation counting of benzene using the laboratory procedures described in previous lists (Barbina et al 1982: 214-216; Barbina, Calligaris & Ciuti 1979). Samples were pretreated according to generally applied methods, depending on type of material and particular archaeologic and geologic features.

We report 63 new radiocarbon analyses of samples from São Miguel, the largest (ca 62 × 13km) and most populous (ca 150,000 inhabitants) island in the Azores archipelago (Fig 1). The samples are mainly carbonized tree roots and other plant material collected from beneath 20 mafic lava flows and spatter deposits and from within and beneath 42 trachytic pyroclastic flow, pyroclastic surge, mudflow, pumice-fall, and lacustrine deposits and lava flows. One calcite date is reported. The samples were collected during geologic mapping of the entire island (Moore, in press A; sample locations are shown on this map). Nine 1:25,000-scale topographic maps, published in 1983 by the Portuguese Army Cartographic Service, cover the island; samples and locations described below refer to these named sheets.