Hostname: page-component-74656f9884-8r8nv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-11-08T03:47:58.536Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Carbonate Sample Preparation for 14C Dating Using an Elemental Analyzer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 February 2016

Susanne Lindauer  and
Bernd Kromer
Susanne Lindauer*
Affiliation:
Klaus-Tschira-Laboratory at Curt-Engelhorn Centre for Archaeometry C 4,8, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
Bernd Kromer
Affiliation:
Klaus-Tschira-Laboratory at Curt-Engelhorn Centre for Archaeometry C 4,8, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
*
1 Corresponding author. Email: Susanne.lindauer@cez-archaeometrie.de.
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.

Radiocarbon dating of carbonates is of increasing importance for archaeology and climate research. Like most samples, these usually require pretreatment to remove surface contamination. We studied several pretreatment techniques using snails and shells of different stages of preservation and sensitivity to dissolution during the acid step of the pretreatment. We find that simple acid treatment leads to reliable results, and is applicable especially to very fragile specimens. We also compare conversion of calcite using an elemental analyzer (EA) to the conventional acid dissolution technique.

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 55 , Issue 2: Proceedings of the 21st International Radiocarbon Conference (Part 1 of 2) , 2013 , pp. 364 - 372
Copyright
Copyright © 2013 by the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona 

References

Burke, A, Robinson, LF, McNichol, AP, Jenkins, WJ, Scanlon, KM, Gerlach, DS. 2010. Reconnaissance dating: a new radiocarbon method applied to assessing the temporal distribution of Southern Ocean deep-sea corals. Deep-Sea Research I 57(11):1510–20.Google Scholar
Collins, JD. 2012. Assessing mussel shell diagenesis in the modern vadose zone at Lyon's Bluff (22OK520), Northeast Mississippi. Journal of Archaeological Science 39(12)3694–705.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Culleton, BJ, Kennett, DJ, Ingram, BL, Erlandson, JM, Southon, JR. 2006. Intrashell radiocarbon variability in marine mollusks. Radiocarbon 48(3):387–400.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holzhauer, I. 2012. Landschaftsgeschichte und human impact im Umfeld der Schwetzinger Hardt seit dem Würm-Hochglazial [PhD thesis], Institute for Geography, Universität Heidelberg.Google Scholar
Kromer, B, Lindauer, S, Synal, H-A, Wacker, L. 2013. MAMS – a new AMS facility at the Curt-Engelhorn-Centre for Archaeometry, Mannheim, Germany. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 294:11–3.Google Scholar
Mächtle, B, Unkel, I, Eitel, B, Kromer, B, Schiegl, S. 2010. Molluscs as evidence for a late Pleistocene and early Holocene humid period in the southern coastal desert of Peru (14.5°S). Quaternary Research 73(1):39–47.Google Scholar
Reimer, PJ, Brown, TAB, Reimer, RW. 2004. Discussion: reporting and calibration of post-bomb 14C data. Radiocarbon 46(3):1299–304.Google Scholar
Rethemeyer, J, Fülöp, R-H, Höfle, S, Wacker, L, Heinze, S, Hajdas, I, Patt, U, König, S, Stapper, B, Dewald, A. 2013. Status report on sample preparation facilities for 14C analysis at the new CologneAMS center. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 294:168–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Skrzypek, G, Paul, D. 2006. δ13C analyses of calcium carbonate: comparison between the GasBench and elemental analyzer techniques. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 20(19):2915–20.Google Scholar
Unkel, I, Kromer, B, Reindel, M, Wacker, L, Wagner, G. 2007. A chronology of the pre-Columbian Paracas and Nasca cultures in south Peru based on AMS 14C dating. Radiocarbon 49(2):551–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van der Plicht, J, Wijma, S, Aerts, AT, Pertuisot, MH, Meijer, HAJ. 2000. Status report: the Groningen AMS facility. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 172(1–4):58–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xu, X, Khosh, MS, Druffel-Rodriguez, KC, Trumbore, SE, Southon, JR. 2010. Is the consensus value of ANU sucrose (IAEA C-6) too high? Radiocarbon 52(2–3):866–74.Google Scholar
Yoneda, M, Shibata, Y, Tanaka, A, Uehiro, T, Morita, M, Uchida, M, Kobayashi, T, Kobayashi, C, Suzuki, R, Miyamoto, K. 2004. AMS 14C measurement and preparative techniques at NIES-TERRA. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B 223–224:116–23.Google Scholar