The present date list describes the first stage of a co-operative study on the validity of dating secondary soil carbonates in arid and semi-arid environments of Australia. Because of the complex nature of the physical and chemical variables in a soil environment, many additional samples are being dated from stratigraphically controlled sites before final evaluation of carbonate reliability is possible.

The laboratory has continued to concentrate on soil and water dating, using the benzene method as outlined in Scharpenseel and Pietig (1969a).

This list reports the first age determinations carried out by the Freiberg Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory. The preparation of samples and radiocarbon dates were done by the first two authors, who constructed the apparatus; sample descriptions and interpretations of dates were made by the third author.

Both the 2-L counter, described in GSC I (Radiocarbon, 1962, v. 4, p. 13–26), and the 5-L counter (GSC IV, Radiocarbon, 1965, v. 7, p. 24–46) were operated routinely during the past year. Approximately half the determinations reported were obtained from each counter. The 2-L counter was operated at 2 atm except for August and September, 1968, when it was operated for the first time at 1 atm. This allowed for the counting of most small samples without the necessity of mixing with dead gas. The 5-L counter was operated at 1 atm, except for the same period when it was operated at 4 atm. Carbon dioxide is used as the counting gas, and both counters are of the proportional type.

This date list presents results of samples measured at ISOTOPES during 1968 and 1969 and several measurements made previously for which complete sample data has recently been received.

The present list covers samples measured between 1963 and July, 1967. Three previous lists have been published in Leningrad I (Sovetskaya arkheologiya, 1961, p. 3); Leningrad II (The Absolute Geochronology of the Quaternary Period, 1963); and Leningrad III (New Methods in Archaeological Investigations, 1963, p. 9–56). The samples measured include charcoal from cultural layers and hearths, wood from barrows [kurgans] and cemeteries, wooden tools from peat deposits, and mounds, as well as peat and animal tissue.

The measurements reported in this list were made in the Louvain C14 Dating Laboratory in 1968 with the 0.6L CH4 proportional counter. The counter generally operates at 3 atm pressure. Samples too poor to provide 2 L methane are measured at 1000 mm Hg pressure. Ages are calculated on the basis of a C14 half life of 5570 yr and are quoted with 1σ counting error. The description of each sample is based on information provided by the submitters.

The following is a list of dates obtained since the compilation of List XII. The method is essentially the same as described in that list. Two CO2-CS2 Geiger counter systems were used. Equipment and counting techniques have been described elsewhere (Crane, 1961). Dates and estimates of error in this list follow the practice recommended by the International Radiocarbon Dating Conferences of 1962 and 1965, in that (a) dates are computed on the basis of the Libby half-life, 5570 yr, (b) a.d. 1950 is used as the zero of the age scale, and (c) the errors quoted are the standard deviations obtained from the numbers of counts only. In Michigan date lists up to and including VII, we quoted errors at least twice as great as the statistical errors of counting, to take account of other errors in the over-all process.

The following list comprises measurements made since those reported in Radiocarbon, 1969, v. 11, p. 130–136. No changes have been made in measurement technique or in the method of calculating the results described in Radiocarbon, 1965, v. 7, p. 156–161. It was necessary during 1968 to replace all the geiger counters used in the anti-coincidence rings, but the long term stability of background and standard count rates implicit in the use of a 20-week rolling mean has been maintained.

Natural C14 measurements have been performed at the Dept. of Physics, National Taiwan University since 1965, using a cylindrical proportional counter of 1000 ml (Hsu et al., 1965). The proportional counter is operated with CO2 as the filling gas at a pressure of 1216 mm Hg at room temperature of 20°C. Working voltage is 4.7 Kv, with a plateau length of more than 700 v and a plateau slope of ca. 1% per 100 v. Background is reduced to 5.1 counts/min and the counting rate of the NBS oxalic acid standard is 9.4 counts/min at the normal counting pressure of 1216 mm Hg.

This list includes those analyses completed December, 1968, with equipment and procedures previously employed here.

The present date list covers mainly the datings done from 1964 to 1968. Each sample is measured in one of the two counting units described earlier (Nydal, 1965). The background of the counters has been somewhat reduced during the past few years. Counter 2 with an effective volume of 1.5 L (1.9 L total volume), has a background of 0.9 counts/min, and a recent standard net count of 19.2 counts/min. Counter 3, with an effective volume of 1.1 L (1.3 L total volume), has a background of 2.4 counts/min and a recent standard net count of 14.2 counts/min.

The following list includes C14 dates and deals with the results of the methodological investigations carried out at the Geobiochemical Laboratory of the Institute of Zoology and Botany of the Academy of Sciences of the Estonian SSR in 1967–1968.

This list reports C14 measurements made in dating projects completed in the year ending December, 1968, and some measurements for projects still in progress. Age calculations are based on C14 half-life of 5568 yr and a modern standard of 95% of NBS oxalic acid. Deviations reported are based on counting statistics of sample, background, and modern, and are ±1σ except that when sample count approaches either modern or background, 2σ limits are reported. The laboratory uses liquid scintillation counting of benzene, with Li2C2 and vanadium activated catalyst in preparation, as described in Texas IV (Radiocarbon, 1966, v. 8, p. 453–466) and earlier lists. Chemical yields average 85%.

The following list covers samples measured since the last list of atmospheric samples (Radiocarbon, 1967, v. 9, p. 471–476) was written, to determine the increase of the C14/C12 ratio due to explosion of nuclear devices.

The dating equipment in the Queen's University Palaeoecology Laboratory was installed to provide data for research projects, initially dealing with the development of agriculture, in the departments of Botany and Archaeology.

The dating equipment in the Palaeoecology Laboratory has remained essentially as described in Belfast I (this volume). Rewiring of the counter has increased the detection efficiency slightly. Background count corrected to 1606 mb is now 11.0 counts/min and the net count rate for 95% of the NBS oxalic acid standard is 56.0 counts/min. All charcoal samples have been pretreated in accordance with the schedule given in Belfast I.

A dating system consisting of gas sample counter with internal anticoincidence counter ring, transistorized electronic equipment, and chemical apparatus was developed in the Institute (Felber and Vychytil, 1962; Felber, 1965). A high voltage supply Fluke Model 408B is used. For routine dating, begun in 1965, an improved 2.4 L counter with Teflon insulators is used, shielded on all sides by 20 cm of iron. The counter is run with methane at 760 torr/15°C. Spurious counts are carefully eliminated by a systematic procedure (Felber, 1966). Stability of electronics and counter is checked once a day by taking the topmost part of the peak of Mnα-X-rays following electron capture in Fe-55, radiated through a beryllium window. Checking is done with the same single channel analyzer (switched over to operation with small window) used for energy discrimination (switched over to two discriminator operation) during measurement. If any change should be observed, discriminator settings are corrected. Energy discrimination is not optimized (Felber, 1962) because a neutron generator using (d,t) reaction is run in the same building in which the samples are prepared: the lower discriminator is set above tritium maximum energy at 22 keV, the upper one at 120 keV, the highest possible energy absorption of C14 β particles in the special counter. The background is 1.58 cpm, the net contemporary value (95% of NBS oxalic acid standard activity) is ca. 8.8 cpm.

This list contains the results of measurements made during 1967 and 1968. Samples are counted in the form of acetylene gas, as previously, and ages computed on the basis of the Libby half-life, 5568 ± 30 yr. The error listed, always larger than the one-sigma statistical counting error commonly used, takes into account variable laboratory factors, but does not include external (field or atmospheric) variations.

The radiocarbon dates obtained since August, 1968, are reported here. Wood, charcoal, and peat samples are pretreated with dilute NaOH and dilute H3PO4 before conversion to the methane used as counting gas; marls and lake cores are treated with acid only. The reported dates have been calculated using 5568 years as the half-life of C14, 1950 as the reference year. Samples are run at least once in each of two 0.5 liter counters at 3 atm pressure for a minimum total of 15,000 counts. The standard deviation quoted includes only the 1σ of the counting statistics of background, sample, and standard counts.