Towards a Radiocarbon Calibration for Oxygen Istotope Stage 3 Using New Zealand Kauri ( Agathis australis )

Date

2007

Authors

Turney, Christian
Fifield, L Keith
Palmer, Jonathan G
Hogg, Alan G
Baillie, Mike G K
Galbraith, Rex
Ogden, John
Lorrey, Andrew
Tims, Stephen

Journal Title

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Volume Title

Publisher

University of Arizona

Abstract

It is well known that radiocarbon years do not directly equate to calendar time. As a result, considerable effort has been devoted to generating a decadally resolved calibration curve for the Holocene and latter part of the last termination. A calibration curve that can be unambiguously attributed to changes in atmospheric 14C content has not, however, been generated beyond 26 kyr cal BP, despite the urgent need to rigorously test climatic, environmental, and archaeological models. Here, we discuss the potential of New Zealand kauri (Agathis australis) to define the structure of the 14C calibration curve using annually resolved tree rings and thereby provide an absolute measure of atmospheric 14C. We report bidecadally sampled 14C measurements obtained from a floating 1050-yr chronology, demonstrating repeatable 14C measurements near the present limits of the dating method. The results indicate that considerable scope exists for a high-resolution 14C calibration curve back through OIS-3 using subfossil wood from this source.

Description

Keywords

Keywords: Agathis australis

Citation

Source

Radiocarbon

Type

Journal article

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DOI

Restricted until

2037-12-31