Development of a robust 14C chronology for Lynch's crater (North Queensland, Australia) using different pretreatment strategies

C. S.M. Turney, M. I. Bird, L. K. Fifield, A. P. Kershaw, R. G. Cresswell, G. M. Santos, M. L. Di Tada, P. A. Hausladen, Z. Youping

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

Lynch's Crater in northeastern Australia provides a long, continuous record of environmental change within the Late Quaternary. Here, we present newly determined radiocarbon ages, using acid-base-acid stepped combustion (ABA-SC) and acid-base-wet oxidation stepped combustion (ABOX-SC) pretreatment strategies. The new results largely confirm the original untreated radiocarbon results for the uppermost 9 m of sediments, (ca. 35 ka BP). Below this depth, results from both pretreatment methods are in stratigraphic agreement and extend the dating of the record from 38 ka BP to about 48 ka BP, although an apparent increased sedimentation rate below 12 m is questionable. The scarcity of "charcoal" in several of the samples raises questions regarding the application of ABOX-SC to lake or swamp sediments, with evidence for contributions from younger, chemically resistant bacterial carbon along with fine "charcoal" in some samples. However, the extent to which this phenomenon is significant to the final age estimate appears to be sample specific, and is probably dependent upon the length of the wet oxidation step in the pretreatment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)45-54
Number of pages10
JournalRadiocarbon
Volume43
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2001
Externally publishedYes

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