Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T20:05:38.919Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Rome Radiocarbon Dates I

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Gilberto Calderoni
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Rome I “La Sapienza,” Piazzale Aldo Moro 5 00100 Rome, Italy
Vincenzo Petrone
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Rome I “La Sapienza,” Piazzale Aldo Moro 5 00100 Rome, Italy
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

We report here, in part, dates measured on samples from Italy since the construction of a new 14C lab in 1990 for research in the fields of geology, paleomorphology and the biogeochemical cycle of carbon. We use liquid scintillation counting (LSC), following sample conversion to benzene through the four classical chemical steps: 1) combustion or hydrolysis to CO2; 2) production of Li2C2; 3) hydrolysis to C2H2; 4) trimerization of acetylene to C6H6 with specific catalysts. The vacuum line for benzene synthesis has been designed following a comparative review of the literature (Tamers 1960; Noakes et al. 1963; Scharpenseel & Pietig 1970; Harkness & Wilson 1973; Polach, Gower & Fraser 1972; Gupta & Polach 1985), and the valuable suggestions of many colleagues from well-established labs abroad. The compact vacuum line is mostly modular with “O”-ring-joined components, and is equipped with greaseless stopcocks. We use commercial two-stage rotary pumps, pressure transducers and gauges; an electrovalve coupled with a pressure control unit supplies the purified oxygen for sample combustion while holding constant, just higher than 1 atm, the gas pressure inside the combustion tube.

Type
Date Lists
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

References

Alessio, M., Allegri, L., Azzi, C., Calderoni, G., Cortesi, C., Improta, S., Nesci, O., Petrone, V. and Savelli, D. 1987 Successioni alluvionali terrazzate nel medio bacino del Metauro (Appennino Marchigiano – Datazione con il 14C. Geografia Fisica Dinamica Quaternaria 10: 307312.Google Scholar
Alessio, M., Bella, F. and Cortesi, C. 1984 University of Rome carbon-14 dates II. Radiocarbon 6: 7790.Google Scholar
Bachetti, C., Blumetti, A. M., Calderoni, G. and Ridolfi, M. 1990 Attività neotettonica nel settore meridionale dei Monti della Laga. Rendiconti della Societa Geologica Italiana 13: 916.Google Scholar
Barberi, F., Innocenti, F., Ferrara, G., Keller, J. and Villari, L. 1974 Evolution of eolian arc volcanism (Southern Tyrrhenian Sea). Earth and Planetary Science Letters 21: 269276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bartolini, C., Corda, L., D'Alessandro, L., La Monica, G. B. and Regini, E. 1977 Studi di geomorfologia costiera: III - Il tombolo di Feniglia. Bolletino della Societa Geologica Italiana 96: 117157.Google Scholar
Brambati, A., Fanzutti, G. P., Marocco, R., Panella, S. and Magazzú, G. 1979 Caratteristiche sedimentologiche ed idrologiche della laguna di Orbetello (Toscana). Archivo Oceanografia e Limnologia 19(3): 179–122.Google Scholar
Calderoni, G., Coltorti, M., Consoli, M., Farabollini, P., Dramis, F., Pambianchi, G. and Percossi, E., in press, Degradazione dei versanti e sedimentazione nei pressi di Borgiano (Appennino Marchigiano) nell'Olocene recente. Memoire della Societa Geologica Italiana. Google Scholar
Calderoni, G., La Volpe, L. and Lo Sito, R., in press, Stratigraphy of the brown tuff deposits from the island of Lipari (Aeolian Islands, southern Italy). Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research. Google Scholar
Calderoni, G., Lorenzoni, P., Ortolani, F., Pagliuca, S. and Serva, L. 1990 Paleoseismological evidence at Rivisondoli, Central Apennines, Italy. Rendiconti della Societa Geologica Italiana 13: 2732.Google Scholar
Calderoni, G. and Venanzi, G. (ms.) 1989 Implementation of a software package for the statistical treatment of counting data from a β-spectrometer and calculation of conventional radiocarbon ages. Internal Report. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Rome.Google Scholar
Cook, G. T., Harkness, D. D. and Anderson, R. 1989 Performance of the Packard 2000CA/XL and 2250CA/XL liquid scintillation counters for 14C dating. In Long, A. and Kra, R. S., eds., Proceedings of the 13th International 14C Conference. Radiocarbon 31(3): 352358.Google Scholar
Cook, G. T., Naysmith, P., Anderson, R. and Harkness, D. D. 1990 Performance optimisation of the Packard 2000CA/XL liquid scintillation counter for 14C dating. Nuclear Geophysics 4(2): 241245.Google Scholar
Gupta, S. K. and Polach, H. A. 1985 Radiocarbon dating practice at ANU: Handbook. Radiocarbon Laboratory, Research School of Pacific Studies, ANU, Canberra: 173.Google Scholar
Harkness, D. D. and Wilson, H. W. 1973 Some application in radiocarbon measurements at the Scottish research reactor centre. In Rafter, T. A. and Grant-Taylor, T., eds., Proceedings of the 8th International 14C Conference. Wellington, Royal Society of New Zealand 1: 209219.Google Scholar
Keller, J. 1979 Mediterranean island arcs. In Thorpe, R. S., ed., Organic Andesites and Related Rocks. New York, John Wiley & Sons: 237.Google Scholar
Lazzarotto, A., Mazzanti, R. and Mazzoncini, F. 1964 Geologia del Promontorio dell'Argentario (Grosseto) e del Promontorio del Franco (Isola del Giglio-Grosseto). Bolletino della Societa Geologica Italiana 83(2): 1124.Google Scholar
Lipparini, T. 1938 I terrazzi fluviali delle Marche. Giornale di Geologia 13:522.Google Scholar
Monti, A. (ms) 1991 Origine, contenuto, distribuzione e turnover di C, N e P nei sedimenti della laguna di Orbetello. Thesis, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Rome, Italy.Google Scholar
Nesci, O. and Savelli, D., in press, Valley terraces in the northern Marche Apennines, Central Italy: cycling deposition and erosion. Giornale di Geologia : 5253.Google Scholar
Noakes, J. E., Isbell, A. F., Stipp, J. J. and Hood, D. W. 1963 Benzene synthesis by low temperature catalysis for radiocarbon dating. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 27(7): 797804.Google Scholar
Noakes, J. E. and Valenta, R. J. 1989 Low background liquid scintillation counting using an active sample holder and pulse discrimination electronics. In Long, A. and Kra, R. S., eds., Proceedings of the 13th International 14C Conference. Radiocarbon 31(3): 332341.Google Scholar
Polach, H. A., Gower, J. and Fraser, I. 1972 Synthesis of high purity benzene for radiocarbon dating. In Rafter, T. A. and Grant-Taylor, T., eds., Proceedings of the 8th International 14C Conference. Wellington, Royal Society of New Zealand 1: 144157.Google Scholar
Scharpenseel, H. W. and Pietig, F. 1970 Determination of age by liquid scintillation spectrometry: Simplified benzene synthesis also from small CO2 quantities. Atompraxis 16(3): 12.Google Scholar
Selli, R. 1954 Il bacino del Metauro. Giornale di Geologia 24: 268 pp.Google Scholar
Stuiver, M. and Polach, H. A. 1977 Discussion: Reporting of 14C data. Radiocarbon 19(3): 355363.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tamers, M. A. 1960 Carbon-14 dating with the liquid scintillation counter: Total synthesis of the benzene solvent. Science 132: 668669.Google Scholar