Accuracy and precision in sediment chronology

Several complications are encountered in radiocarbon dating of limnological samples. The contamination problem is obvious. Since lake sediments are usually composed of both allochthonous and autochthonous material the origin must be considered. The organic content may give some guidance. Organic mat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hydrobiologia 1991-05, Vol.214 (1), p.25-34
Main Author: OLSSON, I. U
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Paleontology
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Summary:Several complications are encountered in radiocarbon dating of limnological samples. The contamination problem is obvious. Since lake sediments are usually composed of both allochthonous and autochthonous material the origin must be considered. The organic content may give some guidance. Organic material from the surroundings may be displaced into a lake by creeks, snowslides and wind. Such material may be older than, or contemporaneous with the sediment deposited at the same time. Water-level changes and wave action may cause erosion and thus admixture of old material. Such contamination can sometimes be traced via different fractions extracted mechanically or chemically. The accelerator technique has made it possible to date small samples and thus macrofossils can be selected as the material to be used for dating far more frequently than is possible with the conventional technique for activity measurement.
ISSN:0018-8158
1573-5117
DOI:10.1007/BF00050928