Speed Dating: A Rapid Way to Determine the Radiocarbon Age of Wood by EA-AMS. Issue 3 (9th September 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sookdeo, Adam; Wacker, Lukas; Fahrni, Simon; McIntyre, Cameron P; Friedrich, Michael; Reinig, Frederick; Nievergelt, Daniel; Tegel, Willy; Kromer, Bernd; Büntgen, Ulf
• Is Part Of: Radiocarbon. Volume 59:Issue 3(2017)
• Page Start: 933
• Page End: 939
• Publication Date: 2016-09-09
• Subjects: 14C, -- AMS dating, -- Speed Dating, -- MICADAS; Radiocarbon dating -- Periodicals; 930.1028505
• DOI: 10.1017/RDC.2016.76
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0033-8222

Abstract

Abstract: Radiocarbon measurements in tree rings can be used to estimate atmospheric 14 C concentration and thereby used to create a 14 C calibration curve. When wood is discovered in construction sites, rivers, buildings, and lake sediments, it is unclear if the wood could fill gaps in the 14 C calibration curve or if the wood is of historical interest until the age is determined by dendrochronology or 14 C dating. However, dendrochronological dating is subjected to many requirements and 14 C dating is costly and time consuming, both of which can be frivolous endeavors if the samples are not in the age range of interest. A simplified 14 C dating technique, called Speed Dating, was thus developed. It can be used to quickly obtain 14 C ages as wood samples are neither chemically treated nor graphitized. Instead, wood is combusted in an elemental analyzer (EA) and the CO2 produced is carried into an accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS) with a gas ion source. Within a day, 75 samples can be measured with uncertainties between 0.5–2% depending on the age, preservation, and contaminants on the material and Speed Dating costs about one-third of conventional AMS dates.