Radiocarbon Dating of Agrarian Terraces by Means of Buried Soils

Radiocarbon ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnald Puy ◽  
Andrea L Balbo ◽  
Olaf Bubenzer

AbstractSoils buried under terrace fills have been widely used to date the construction of ancient agrarian terraces. The reliability of the obtained radiocarbon dates entirely depends on the degree of preservation and isolation of the Ab horizons and on the amount of embedded older carbon. To assess these caveats, we analyzed 14 14C dates (11 on charred material and 3 on the bulk organic fraction) obtained from buried soils under Andalusi terrace fills in Ricote, Spain (AD 711–1492). The preservation of Ab horizons was assessed through bulk analyses [particle size distribution (PSD), carbon analyses, magnetic susceptibility (Mag Sus)] and statistics [Welch’s ANOVA, MANOVA (Wilk’s lambda) and effect size tests]. The effects of older carbon were quantified through the systematic dating of Ab horizons within the earliest terrace cluster of Ricote. Our results show that (1) Ab horizons were not disturbed nor mixed with the terrace fills above; (2) the dates determined from the bulk organic fraction were statistically significantly older than those provided by the charred material, probably due to the higher stability of the microcharcoal fraction; and (3) the earliest dates measured on charcoal clustered reliably around cal AD 989–1210, suggesting that the first Andalusi irrigated terraces of Ricote were built between the end of the 10th and the beginning of the 13th centuries AD.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrey Zakharov ◽  
Svetlana Sycheva ◽  
Pavel Panin

<p>Granulometric composition and magnetic susceptibility are important indicators of the genesis of paleosols, loesses and other newest sediments. Along with other characteristics, they make it possible to reconstruct evolution, surrounding landscapes and climatic changes in the past. The stratotypic section "Alexandrovsky quarry" (natural monument in Kursk, 51°35′31″N, 36°3′21″E) reveals the most complete structure of the Late Pleistocene for the periglacial zone of the East European Plain. Soil-sediment stratum with a thickness of more than 10 m represents the filling of a small buried valley. The formation of the stratum took place practically without interruptions during the last 130 thousand years. It includes two interglacial paleosols: Holocene (Marine Isotope Stage 1) and Ryshkovo (MIS 5е); four interstadial paleosols: Kukuevka (MIS 5с), Streletsa (MIS 5а), Alexandrovka (MIS 3.1), Bryansk (MIS 3.2), and also loess, pedo-sediment and other deposits that have periodically experienced exposuring to cryogenesis [Sycheva, 2012]. The particle size distribution and the magnitude of the magnetic susceptibility reflect the complex history of the stratum formation and reveal detailed climate changes in the Late Pleistocene. The particle size distribution was determined with fractionation method by Kaczynski and by instrumental laser-diffractometry method on a "Malvern Mastersizer 3000" particle size analyzer. The magnetic susceptibility was determined by a SatisGeo KM-7m field capameter with triplicate measurements for every 6 cm.<br>A change in the granulometric composition from Ryshkovo (MIS 5e) medium loamy deposits to heavy loamy soils and loess belonging to MIS 3.1 was established. The largest value of the clay fraction (<0.001 mm) is characteristic of the MIS 3 paleosols. Significant values of this fraction are also characteristic of the humus horizons of paleosols and Bt horizon Ryshkovo paleosol (MIS 5e). The lowest clay content is observed in loess, especially in their upper parts and in the eluvial horizon of the Rushkovo paleosol (MIS 5е). The data gained by instrumental method of particle size determination is different from such as data gained by the Kaczynski method for the upper heavy loam stratum (MIS 3-1). The predominant fraction is fine dust, in contrast to the lower sediments MIS 5-4, where the coarse silt fraction prevails. Whereas according to data gained by Kaczynski method, the coarse silt fraction prevails in the entire studied thickness of the loess-soil sequence.<br>Magnetic susceptibility (MS) depends on the content of superparamagnetic mineral in each of the samples and represents levels of pedogenesis in loess deposits. The highest MS values are characteristic of the humus horizon of the interglacial Ryshkovo paleosol (MIS 5e). Followed by Ah horizon of the Streletsa paleosol (MIS 5a) and underlying loess. Smaller values are characteristic of the Kukuevka (MIS 5c) paleosol. But they are more eroded and represented by transitional AB horizons. Loess is characterized by the lowest values of magnetic susceptibility.<br>The study was funded by RFBR according to the research project № 19-29-05024.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 102-106
Author(s):  
Shota Ohki ◽  
Shingo Mineta ◽  
Mamoru Mizunuma ◽  
Soichi Oka ◽  
Masayuki Tsuda

1995 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine M. Woodall ◽  
James E. Peters ◽  
Richard O. Buckius

1998 ◽  
Vol 84 (5) ◽  
pp. 387-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi INOUE ◽  
Yuzo HOSOI ◽  
Koe NAKAJIMA ◽  
Hiroyuki TAKENAKA ◽  
Tomonori HANYUDA

2016 ◽  
Vol 94 (suppl_5) ◽  
pp. 596-597
Author(s):  
P. Turiello ◽  
M. Ruiz de Huidobro ◽  
F. Bargo ◽  
A. Larriestra ◽  
A. Relling

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