scholarly journals 14C INTERCOMPARISON EXERCISE ON BONES AND IVORY SAMPLES: IMPLICATIONS FOR FORENSICS

Radiocarbon ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
G Quarta ◽  
M Molnár ◽  
I Hajdas ◽  
L Calcagnile ◽  
I Major ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
International Atomic Energy Agency ◽  
Accelerator Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Reference Curve ◽  
Nuclear Testing ◽  
Energy Agency ◽  
Widespread Application ◽  
Intercomparison Exercise ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Data Calibration

ABSTRACT The application of accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon (AMS 14C) dating in forensics is made possible by the use of the large excursion of the 14C concentration in the post-WWII terrestrial atmosphere due to nuclear testing as a reference curve for data calibration. By this approach high-precision analyses are possible on samples younger than ∼70 years. Nevertheless, the routine, widespread application of the method in the practice of forensics still appears to be limited by different issues due to possible complex interpretation of the results. We present the results of an intercomparison exercise carried out in the framework of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) CRP-Coordinated Research Project between three AMS laboratories in Italy, Hungary, and Switzerland. Bone and ivory samples were selected with ages spanning from background (>50 ka) to 2018. The results obtained allow us to assess the high degree of reproducibility of the results and the remarkable consistency of the experimental determinations.

scholarly journals The IAEA 14C Intercomparison Exercise 1990

Radiocarbon ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 506-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazimierz Rozanski ◽  
Willibald Stichler ◽  
Roberto Gonfiantini ◽  
E. M. Scott ◽  
R. P. Beukens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
International Atomic Energy Agency ◽  
Atomic Energy ◽  
Quality Assurance Program ◽  
Joint Effort ◽  
Energy Agency ◽  
Natural Materials ◽  
Intercomparison Exercise ◽  
Consensus Values

As a follow-up to the meeting of experts convened at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in February 1989, and the International 14C Workshop held in Glasgow in September 1989, the 14C Quality Assurance Program was formulated. In a joint effort of several radiocarbon teams and IAEA staff, we have prepared a set of five new intercomparison materials. These are natural materials frequently used by radiocarbon laboratories. The materials were distributed to 137 laboratories in May 1990. In February 1991, a meeting of experts was convened in Vienna to evaluate the results, to determine the radiocarbon activity of the five samples expressed in % Modern (pMC) terms and to define the 13C/12C ratio, and to make recommendations on further use of these materials. We present here the results of the exercise and the agreed consensus values for each of the five materials and discuss the different analyses that were undertaken.

scholarly journals Assessment of Interlaboratory Pretreatment Protocols by Radiocarbon Dating an Elk Bone Found Below Laacher See Tephra at Miesenheim IV (Rhineland, Germany)

Radiocarbon ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 1443-1453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart J Fiedel ◽  
John R Southon ◽  
R E Taylor ◽  
Yaroslav V Kuzmin ◽  
Martin Street ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Humic Acid ◽  
Accelerator Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Accurate Determination ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Single Amino Acid ◽  
Intercomparison Exercise ◽  
Laacher See Tephra

Four accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) facilities undertook an interlaboratory exercise designed to examine the reliability and reproducibility of radiocarbon determinations on bone by dating a sample of elk (Alces alces) from Miesenheim IV. This specimen is derived from a secure geological context directly beneath the Laacher See tephra, which provides a precise terminus ante quern of ∼11,060 yr BP (∼13,050 cal yr BP). Regrettably, the results of the intercomparison exercise were complicated by evident contamination of the bone sample by exogenous organic material. This contaminant, probably humic acid, resulted in a wide span of ages (10,010 ± 30 to 11,100 ± 45 BP). The only method that yielded an accurate determination, consistent with the age of the tephra, was Oxford's single amino acid technique, which targets hydroxyproline. An acid hydrolysis step seems to have been crucial in breaking the bonds between the bone collagen and the contaminant.

scholarly journals The Application of ICELS Systems for Radiocarbon Dating

Radiocarbon ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 1661-1666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konrad Tudyka ◽  
Anna Pazdur ◽  
Páll Theodórsson ◽  
Adam Michczyński ◽  
Jacek Pawlyta
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Accelerator Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Liquid Scintillation Counting ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Liquid Scintillation ◽  
Scintillation Counting ◽  
Counting Time ◽  
First Results ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Larger Sample

Liquid scintillation counting (LSC) for radiocarbon dating is a less expensive method than accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), provides a high degree of accuracy, and is less prone to contamination due to the larger sample sizes. However, to obtain high precision, a long counting time is needed. The Gliwice Radiocarbon Laboratory is seeking to obtain an increased counting capacity with 2–3 mL benzene samples than we presently can achieve with our 2 Quantulus systems. We are therefore investigating the possibility of using a simple, single-phototube LS system (ICELS) for dating samples younger than 5000 yr. We present the first results of this investigation, including the measurement of 3 VIRI and 3 FIRI intercomparison samples.

scholarly journals Hiatus in Prehistoric Chronology of the Cis-Baikal Region, Siberia: Pattern or Artifact?

Radiocarbon ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaroslav V Kuzmin
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Accelerator Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Baikal Region ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Burial Grounds

The problem of a hiatus at about 6100–5300 BP (about 4900–4200 cal BC) in the prehistoric chronology of the Cis-Baikal region in Siberia is discussed. Based on a critical evaluation of existing evidence, there was no discontinuity found in the cultural sequence between the Kitoi and Serovo/Glazkovo complexes of the Neolithic, and the proposed “hiatus” may be an artifact based on underestimation of solid data. Conventional 14C dates are presented that were generated in the 1980s to early 2000s for Cis-Baikal prehistoric burial grounds, and were later dated by the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS).

scholarly journals Dating of Cremated Bones

Radiocarbon ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 43 (2A) ◽  
pp. 249-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
J N Lanting ◽  
A T Aerts-Bijma ◽  
J van der Plicht
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Success Rate ◽  
Accelerator Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Organic Fraction ◽  
Mineral Fraction

When dating unburnt bone, bone collagen, the organic fraction of the bone, is used. Collagen does not survive the heat of the cremation pyre, so dating of cremated bone has been considered impossible. Structural carbonate in the mineral fraction of the bone, however, survives the cremation process. We developed a method of dating cremated bone by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), using this carbonate fraction. Here we present results for a variety of prehistoric sites and ages, showing a remarkable success rate for this method.

scholarly journals THE BEGINNING OF THE IRON AGE AT ARSLANTEPE: A 14C PERSPECTIVE

Radiocarbon ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Federico Manuelli ◽  
Cristiano Vignola ◽  
Fabio Marzaioli ◽  
Isabella Passariello ◽  
Filippo Terrasi
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
High Precision ◽  
Iron Age ◽  
Accelerator Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Late Bronze Age ◽  
13Th Century ◽  
Historical Events ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Archaeological Data

ABSTRACT The Iron Age chronology at Arslantepe is the result of the interpretation of Luwian hieroglyphic inscriptions and archaeological data coming from the site and its surrounding region. A new round of investigations of the Iron Age levels has been conducted at the site over the last 10 years. Preliminary results allowed the combination of the archaeological sequence with the historical events that extended from the collapse of the Late Bronze Age empires to the formation and development of the new Iron Age kingdoms. The integration into this picture of a new set of radiocarbon (14C) dates is aimed at establishing a more solid local chronology. High precision 14C dating by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and its correlation with archaeobotanical analysis and stratigraphic data are presented here with the purpose of improving our knowledge of the site’s history and to build a reliable absolute chronology of the Iron Age. The results show that the earliest level of the sequence dates to ca. the mid-13th century BC, implying that the site started developing a new set of relationships with the Levant already before the breakdown of the Hittite empire, entailing important historical implications for the Syro-Anatolian region at the end of the 2nd millennium BC.

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