Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T08:31:26.137Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Radiocarbon Variations from Tasmanian Conifers: First Results from Late Pleistocene and Holocene Logs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Mike Barbetti
Affiliation:
The NWG Macintosh Centre for Quaternary Dating, Madsen Building F09, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006 Australia
Trevor Bird
Affiliation:
Trades Hall, 219 New Town Road, New Town, Tasmania 7008 Australia
George Dolezal
Affiliation:
The NWG Macintosh Centre for Quaternary Dating, Madsen Building F09, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006 Australia
Gillian Taylor
Affiliation:
The NWG Macintosh Centre for Quaternary Dating, Madsen Building F09, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006 Australia
Roger Francey
Affiliation:
CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research, Private Bag No. 1, Mordialloc, Victoria 3195 Australia
Edward Cook
Affiliation:
Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964 USA
Mike Peterson
Affiliation:
Forestry Commission, Hobart, Tasmania 7001 Australia
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

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.

Dendrochronological studies have begun on two conifer species in the Stanley River area of western Tasmania. The chronology extends to 273 BC for Huon pine (Lagarostrobos franklinii) and to AD 1450 for celery-top pine (Phyllocladus aspleniifolius). Apart from living or recently felled trees, sections have been taken from 58 logs preserved in floodplain sediments. Two of these logs have late Pleistocene ages, centered around 13.0 and 12.7 k 14C yr bp. Four logs are between 8 and 9 ka BP, and one is centered at 7.3 ka bp. The remaining logs have various ages between 6.2 ka BP and the present. 14C measurements have been performed on decadal samples from the two late Pleistocene logs, providing short (260-yr) records of atmospheric 14C variations when plotted against individual ring numbers. Decadal measurements on the 7300-yr-old log have been wiggle-matched with 14C calibration curves from German oak and bristlecone pine. Measurements for the period, AD 1600–1800, show good agreement with northern hemisphere results, and a nearly zero offset between the hemispheres.

Type
IV. Paleoclimatology
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

References

Aitken, M. J. 1987 Archaeometrical dating: Rapporteur review. In Aurenche, O., Evin, J. and Hours, F., eds., Chronologies in the Near East. BAR International Series 379: 207218.Google Scholar
Barbetti, M. 1980 Geomagnetic strength over the last 50,000 years and changes in atmospheric 14C concentration: Emerging trends. In Stuiver, M. and Kra, R. S., eds., Proceedings of the 10th International 14C Conference. Radiocarbon 22(2): 192199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bard, E., Hamelin, B., Fairbanks, R. G. and Zindler, A. 1990 Calibration of the radiocarbon timescale over the past 30,000 years using mass-spectrometric U-Th ages from Barbados corals. Nature 345: 405410.Google Scholar
Becker, B. and Kromer, B. 1986 Extension of the Holocene dendrochronology by the Preboreal pine series, 8800 to 10,100 bp. In Stuiver, M. and Kra, R. S., eds., Proceedings of the 12th International 14C Conference. Radiocarbon 28(2B): 961967.Google Scholar
Francey, R. J., Barbetti, M., Bird, T., Beardsmore, D., Coupland, W., Dolezal, J. E., Farquhar, G. D., Flynn, R. G., Fraser, P. J., Gifford, R. M., Goodman, H. S., Kunda, B., McPhail, S., Nanson, G., Pearman, G. I., Richards, N. G., Sharkey, T. D., Temple, R. B. and Weir, B. 1984 Isotopes in tree rings – Stanley River Collections 1981/82. CSIRO Division of Atmospheric Research, Aspendale, Victoria. Technical Paper 4: 86 p.Google Scholar
Gupta, S. K. and Polach, H. A. 1985 Radiocarbon Dating Practices at ANU. Handbook, Research School of Pacific Studies, Canberra: 173 p.Google Scholar
Head, J. (ms.) 1979 Structure and chemical properties of fresh and degraded wood. , Australian National University, Canberra: 103 p.Google Scholar
Kromer, B., Rhein, M., Bruns, M., Schoch-Fischer, H., Münnich, K. O., Stuiver, M. and Becker, B. 1986 Radiocarbon calibration data for the 6th to the 8th millennia bc. In Stuiver, M. and Kra, R. S., eds., Proceedings of the 12th International 14C Conference. Radiocarbon 28(2B): 954960.Google Scholar
Lerman, J. C., Mook, W. G. and Vogel, J. C. 1970 14C in tree rings from different localities. In Olsson, I. U., ed., Radiocarbon Variations and Absolute Chronology. Proceedings of the 12th Nobel Symposium. New York, John Wiley & Sons: 257299.Google Scholar
Linick, T. W., Long, A., Damon, P. E. and Ferguson, C. W. 1986 High-precision radiocarbon dating of bristlecone pine from 6554 to 5350 bc. In Stuiver, M. and Kra, R. S., eds., Proceedings of the 12th International 14C Conference. Radiocarbon 28(2B): 943953.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stuiver, M. 1971 Evidence for the variation of atmospheric C14 content in the late Quaternary. In Turekian, K. K., ed., The Late Cenozoic Glacial Ages. New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University Press: 5770.Google Scholar
Stuiver, M. and Becker, B. 1986 High-precision decadal calibration of the radiocarbon time scale, AD 1950–2500 bc. In Stuiver, M. and Kra, R. S., eds., Proceedings of the 12th International 14C Conference. Radiocarbon 28(2B): 863910.Google Scholar
Stuiver, M., Braziunas, T. F., Becker, B. and Kromer, B. 1991 Climatic, solar, oceanic and geomagnetic influences on late-glacial and Holocene atmospheric 14C/12C change. Quaternary Research 35: 124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stuiver, M., Kromer, B., Becker, B. and Ferguson, C. W. 1986 Radiocarbon age calibration back to 13,300 years BP and the 14C age matching of the German oak and US bristlecone pine chronologies. In Stuiver, M. and Kra, R. S., eds., Proceedings of the 12th International 14C Conference. Radiocarbon 28(2B): 969979.Google Scholar
Stuiver, M. and Pearson, G. W. 1986 High-precision calibration of the radiocarbon time-scale, AD 1950–500 bc. In Stuiver, M. and Kra, R. S., eds., Proceedings of the 12th International 14C Conference. Radiocarbon 28(2B): 805838.Google Scholar
Vogel, J. C., Fuls, A., Visser, E. and Becker, B. 1986 Radiocarbon fluctuations during the third millennium bc. In Stuiver, M. and Kra, R. S., eds., Proceedings of the 12th International 14C Conference. Radiocarbon 28(2B): 935938.CrossRefGoogle Scholar