scholarly journals CALCINED BONE AS A RELIABLE MEDIUM FOR RADIOCARBON DATING: A TEST USING PAIRED NORTH AMERICAN SAMPLES

2017 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 593-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
James C. Chatters ◽  
James W. Brown ◽  
Steven Hackenberger ◽  
Patrick McCutcheon ◽  
Jonathan Adler
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Organic Media ◽  
Radiocarbon Age ◽  
Cross Dating ◽  
Chronometric Analysis ◽  
Calcined Bone ◽  
Age Estimates

Radiocarbon dating using charcoal and bone collagen, two standards of archaeological chronology, can be difficult to impossible in environments where natural burning is common and bone does not preserve well. In such settings, charcoal ages cannot always be trusted and collagen is unavailable. Calcined bone can be a viable alternative medium in these situations but it has rarely been exploited in the Americas. One area that could benefit from its use is the forested Pacific Northwest. We compare calcined bone ages with charcoal and/or collagen dates from individual features or discrete cultural strata in 10 Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia sites dating between 9000 and 100 B.P. Resulting radiocarbon age estimates based on calcined bone closely match those based on charcoal and/or collagen in nearly all cases. We obtained calcined bone dates from three additional Holocene-aged sites that had not previously produced accurate results, obtaining findings consistent with estimates based on cross dating. Preserving well where all other organic media of cultural origin are lost or unreliable, calcined bone holds promise for dating sites in conifer forests and other acidic soil settings, and can allow researchers to refine archaeological sequences that have long defied accurate chronometric analysis.

Holocene and latest Pleistocene cirque glaciations in the Shuswap Highland, British Columbia

1978 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 865-873 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Duford ◽  
G. D. Osborn
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Volcanic Ash ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Glacial Deposits ◽  
Canadian Rockies ◽  
Radiocarbon Age ◽  
Recent Advances ◽  
The World

Ages of glacial deposits in cirques of the Shuswap Highland, British Columbia are approximated or bracketed using tephrochronology, radiocarbon dating and lichenometry. There is evidence for two minor Holocene glacial advances. The younger, named the Raft Mountain Advance, is defined by the type Raft Mountain moraine, which is about 100 years old judging from Rhizocarpon lichens. No volcanic ash is found on the moraine or its equivalents. The older, named the Dunn Peak Advance, is defined by the type Dunn Peak moraine and equivalent deposits in the Dunn Peak area. These deposits bear Mazama ash and are thus older than 6600 years; one of the moraines has a minimum radiocarbon age of about 7400 years. The deposits are younger than the Late Wisconsin deglaciation in southern B.C. (about 11 000 years BP). In addition, an earlier event, possibly a stillstand, is represented by a moraine (the Harper Creek moraine) downstream of the type Dunn Peak moraine. This moraine is also bracketed between 6600 and 11 000 years in age. The Dunn Peak Advance may be correlative with an Early Holocene Advance reported from the Canadian Rockies and northern American Rockies, and the Raft Mountain Advance is correlative with very recent advances reported from several parts of the world.

Radiocarbon Dating of Late Pleistocene Marine Shells from the Southern North Sea

Radiocarbon ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 1151-1166 ◽  
Author(s):  
F S Busschers ◽  
F P Wesselingh ◽  
R H Kars ◽  
M Versluijs-Helder ◽  
J Wallinga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Sem Analysis ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Shell Material ◽  
Marine Mollusk ◽  
Shell Carbonate ◽  
Age Estimates

This article presents a set of Late Pleistocene marine mollusk radiocarbon (AMS) age estimates of 30–5014C kyr BP, whereas a MIS5 age (>75 ka) is indicated by quartz and feldspar OSL dating, biostratigraphy, U-Th dating, and age-depth relationships with sea level. These results indicate that the14C dates represent minimum ages. The age discrepancy suggests that the shells are contaminated by younger carbon following shell death. The enigmatic14C dates cannot be “solved” by removing part of the shell by stepwise dissolution. SEM analysis of the Late Pleistocene shells within a context of geologically younger (recent/modern, Holocene) and older (Pliocene) shells shows the presence of considerable amounts of an intracrystalline secondary carbonate precipitate. The presence of this precipitate is not visible using XRD since it is of the same (aragonitic) polymorph as the original shell carbonate. The combination of nanospherulitic-shaped carbonate crystals, typical cavities, and the presence of fatty acids leads to the conclusion that the secondary carbonate, and hence the addition of younger carbon, has a bacterial origin. As shell material was studied, this study recommends an assessment of possible bacterial imprints in other materials like bone collagen as well.

Experiments on Oral Secretion of the Rocky Mountain Wood Tick, Dermacentor andersoni Stiles (Acarina: Ixodidae)

1957 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Gregson
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Oral Secretion ◽  
Amblyomma Maculatum ◽  
Dermacentor Andersoni ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Tick Paralysis ◽  
Rocky Mountain Wood Tick

Tick paralysis continues to be one of the most baffling and fascinating tickborne diseases in Canada. It was first reported in this country by Todd in 1912. Since then about 250 human cases, including 28 deaths, have been recorded from British Columbia. Outbreaks in cattle have affected up to 400 animals at a time, with losses in a herd as high as 65 head. Although the disease is most common in the Pacific northwest, where it is caused by the Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni Stiles, it has lately been reported as far south as Florida and has been produced by Dermacentor variabilis Say, Amblyomma maculatum Koch, and A. americanum (L.) (Gregson, 1953). The symptoms include a gradual ascending symmetrical flaccid paralysis. Apparently only man, sheep, cattle, dogs, and buffalo (one known instance) are susceptible, but even these may not necessarily be paralysed.

Radiocarbon Dating and Dietary Stable Isotope Analysis of Kwaday Dän Ts'inchí

2007 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 719-734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P. Richards ◽  
Sheila Greer ◽  
Lorna T. Corr ◽  
Owen Beattie ◽  
Alexander Mackie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Human Remains ◽  
Isotopic Analysis ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Contact Period ◽  
European Contact ◽  
Ams Dating ◽  
The Individual

We report here on the results of AMS dating and isotopic analysis of the frozen human remains named Kwaday Dän Ts'inchí and associated materials recovered from a glacier located in Northwest British Columbia, Canada in 1999. The isotopic analysis of bone collagen (bulk and single amino acids) from the individual indicates a strongly marine diet, which was unexpected given the location of this find, more than 100 km inland eroding out of a high elevation glacier; however, bulk hair and bone cholesterol isotopic values indicate a shift in diet to include more terrestrial foods in the year before death. The radiocarbon dating is not straightforward, as there are difficulties in determining the appropriate marine correction for the human remains, and the spread of dates on the associated artifacts clearly indicates that this was not a single use site. By combining the most recent date on a robe worn by Kwaday Dän Ts'inchi with direct bone collagen dates we conclude that the individual likely dates to between cal A.D. 1670 to 1850, which is in the pre-(or early) European contact period for this region.

1999 Pacific Northwest Labor History Association Conference

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 117-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Jacoby
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Labor History ◽  
Definitive Answer ◽  
Preferable Alternative ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Academic Conferences

I cannot provide a definitive answer to those of us pondering what the best alternative to capitalism is, but after attending the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association (PNLHA) Conference in Westminster, British Columbia, over the weekend of May 28–30, 1999, I can tell you that this is certainly a preferable alternative to standard academic conferences. As usual, the PNLHA was able to produce a cadre of historians (from the trades as well as academia), active unionists, and old-timers whose memories are as tapable as a keg of beer. Although the association designates labor history as its subject, newly elected President Ross Rieder likes to say, “History ends the moment before now.”

Calibrated Radiocarbon Dating at Keatley Creek: The Chronology of Occupation at a Complex Hunter-Gatherer Village

2003 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 719-735 ◽  
Author(s):  
William C. Prentiss ◽  
Michael Lenert ◽  
Thomas A. Foor ◽  
Nathan B. Goodale ◽  
Trinity Schlegel
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Climatic Warming ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Population Aggregation ◽  
Selective Environment

This paper provides an analysis of radiocarbon dates acquired during earlier and recent field seasons at the Keatley Creek site, southern British Columbia. Results indicate that early occupations predating 1900 cal. B.P. occurred, but were not likely associated with population aggregation and large housepits. The aggregated village appears to have emerged by approximately 1700 cal. B.P. and was abandoned at approximately 800 cal. B.P. A break in the occupational sequence is recognized at 1450-1350 cal. B.P. and one other short break may have occurred shortly after 1250 cal. B.P. Peak socioeconomic complexity appears to have been achieved between 1350 and 800 cal B.P. Climatic warming may have provided a selective environment favoring population aggregation and intensification during this time. The final abandonment of the Keatley Creek village appears to have been part of a regional phenomenon suggesting the possibility that climatic factors were important in this case as well.

Aquatic Radiocarbon Reservoir Offsets in the Southeastern Baltic

Radiocarbon ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gytis Piličiauskas ◽  
Carl Heron
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Bronze Age ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Curonian Lagoon ◽  
Human Bones ◽  
Ceramic Vessel ◽  
Pike Perch ◽  
Ceramic Vessels ◽  
Ams Dates

The aim of this article is to discuss radiocarbon dating offsets due to freshwater and marine reservoir effects (FRE and MRE, respectively) in the southeastern Baltic. Thirty-six 14C dates from Lithuanian coastal and inland Subneolithic, Neolithic, and Bronze Age sites as well as two Mesolithic-Neolithic cemeteries are presented here. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates, sometimes paired or tripled, have been obtained on samples of various origin, foodcrusts, or visible charred deposits adhering to the surfaces of ceramic vessel walls were also dated and investigated for stable isotope signals. The results argue for a significant freshwater component in the food processed in ceramic vessels during the Subneolithic and Neolithic. Paired dating of ungulate and human bones at the Spiginas and Donkalnis cemeteries (6300–1900 cal BC) does not suggest an FRE, although stable isotope data on human bone collagen strongly suggest a large input of freshwater food in the diet. An FRE in the order of 320–510 yr was estimated for the Šventoji paleolagoon around 3000 cal BC. At the same time, the FRE of the Curonian Lagoon could be larger as implied by large apparent 14C ages of modern pike-perch (981 ± 30 BP) and bream (738 ± 30 BP) bones as well as “foodcrust” offsets (650–530 yr) at Nida (3500–2500 cal BC). An MRE of 190 ± 43 yr was estimated for the southeastern coast of the Littorina Sea according to offsets between dates of seal bones and terrestrial samples at Nida and Šventoji. Any FRE at Lake Kretuonas remains uncertain due to the limited work to date.

Points in Time: Direct Radiocarbon Dates on Great Basin Projectile Points

2013 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 580-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey M. Smith ◽  
Pat Barker ◽  
Eugene M. Hattori ◽  
Anan Raymond ◽  
Ted Goebel
Keyword(s):  
Great Basin ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Projectile Point ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Projectile Points ◽  
Primary Means ◽  
Point Types ◽  
Cross Dating ◽  
Age Estimates

AbstractTypological cross-dating is the primary means by which archaeological sites are placed into chronological frameworks. This approach relies on the assumption that artifacts at undated sites—usually projectile points—are coeval with similar artifacts found at Other, dated sites. While typological cross-dating is necessary in regions dominated by open-air lithic scatters, the approach can be problematic when undated and dated sites are separated by significant distances. Here, we present radiocarbon dates on projectile points with organic hafting material still attached or found within organic storage bags. Our results provide unequivocal ages for various morphological projectile point types at several Great Basin locales and should be useful to researchers seeking local age estimates for those point types, which often involves relying on chronological data from more distant sites. The results also highlight potential issues with uncritically applying typological cross-dating using typologies based on metric attributes, and in two cases, suggest the need to revise the age ranges for certain point styles in the western Great Basin.

scholarly journals Crevice Interments Deconstructed

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Black ◽  
Katherine Spradley ◽  
Michelle Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Eighth Century ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Private Collection ◽  
Stable Isotopic ◽  
Skeletal Analysis ◽  
Biological Affinity ◽  
Central Texas ◽  
Lines Of Evidence

The discovery of two well preserved human crania in a crevice overlooking a spring fed creek near Austin, Texas, led to medico legal, archeological, and bioanthropological investigations aimed at understanding the context and biological affinity of the crania. Archeological excavations uncovered no evidence that the crania were interred in the crevice during prehistoric times. Skeletal analysis showed they were of Native American ancestry. Radiocarbon dating indicated they are contemporary to one another and probably date to the seventh or eighth century A.D. Measured stable isotopic rations of carbon ( 13 C/ 12 C) and nitrogen ( 15 N/ 14 N) derived from human bone collagen samples from the crania are not consistent with other burial populations from the region, having higher nitrogen values than all other comparative samples. The crania also showed polish from repeated handling and several of the molars in one cranium had been glued in place. Taken together, these lines of evidence suggest the crania were removed from an unknown locality outside the Central Texas region, kept in a private collection, and placed in the crevice recently.

scholarly journals Freshwater reservoir offsets on radiocarbon-dated dog bone from the headwaters of the St. Lawrence River, USA

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7174
Author(s):  
John P. Hart ◽  
Robert S. Feranec ◽  
Timothy J. Abel ◽  
Jessica L. Vavrasek
Keyword(s):  
Native Americans ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
Human Bone ◽  
Bone Collagen ◽  
Canis Lupus Familiaris ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Dog Bone ◽  
Freshwater Reservoir ◽  
St Lawrence River

Isotopic analysis of dog (Canis lupus familiaris) bone recovered from archaeological sites as proxies for human bone is becoming common in North America. Chronological placement of the dogs is often determined through radiocarbon dating of dog bone. The Great Lakes, their tributaries, and nearby lakes and streams were important fisheries for Native Americans prior to and after sustained European presence in the region. Carbon entering the food web in freshwater systems is often not in full isotopic equilibrium with the atmosphere, giving rise to spuriously old radiocarbon ages in fish, other aquatic organisms, and their consumers. These freshwater reservoir offsets (FROs) have been noted on human and dog bone in several areas of the world. Here we report the results of multi-tracer Bayesian dietary modeling using δ15N and δ13C values on dog bone collagen from mid-fifteenth to mid-sixteenth-century Iroquoian village sites at the headwaters of the St. Lawrence River, New York, USA. Results indicate that fish was an important component of dog diets. A comparison of radiocarbon dates on dog bone with dates on deer bone or maize from the same sites indicate FROs ranging from 97 ± 24 to 220 ± 39 14Cyr with a weighted mean of 132 ± 8 14Cyr. These results suggest that dog bone should not be used for radiocarbon dating in the absence of modeling to determine fish consumption and that previously reported radiocarbon dates on human bone from the larger region are likely to have FROs given the known importance of fish in regional human diets.

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