Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-gvh9x Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-19T10:37:42.406Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A 23-Year Retrospective Blind Check of Accuracy of the Copenhagen Radiocarbon Dating System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Kaare L Rasmussen ,
Henrik Tauber ,
Niels Bonde ,
Kjeld Christensen  and
Páll Theodórsson
Kaare L Rasmussen
Affiliation:
Carbon-14 Dating Laboratory, National Museum and Geological Survey of Denmark, Ny Vestergade 11, DK-1471 Copenhagen K, Denmark
Henrik Tauber
Affiliation:
Carbon-14 Dating Laboratory, National Museum and Geological Survey of Denmark, Ny Vestergade 11, DK-1471 Copenhagen K, Denmark
Niels Bonde
Affiliation:
Environmental Archaeology and Archaeometry, National Museum, Ny Vestergade 11, DK-1471 Copenhagen, Denmark
Kjeld Christensen
Affiliation:
Environmental Archaeology and Archaeometry, National Museum, Ny Vestergade 11, DK-1471 Copenhagen, Denmark
Páll Theodórsson
Affiliation:
Science Institute, University of Iceland, Dunhaga 3, IS-107 Reykjavik, Iceland
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.

A 23-yr record of the measuring accuracy of the Copenhagen radiocarbon dating laboratory has retrospectively been provided through a true blind test. A total of 92 samples of oak from old tree trunks were dated in the period 1971 to 1993 and their dendrochronological age determined independently. The 14C activity of the dendrochronological samples measured in the Copenhagen radiocarbon laboratory was compared to the activity of the tree rings of the same age measured by Stuiver and Pearson (1993) for calibration purposes. The average difference was found to be 54 ± 72 14C yr. The results further indicate that the actual standard deviation is only 7% higher than that quoted by the laboratory. The investigation has shown a long-term stability of laboratory accuracy with no systematic laboratory variations either with respect to sample age or to the time of measurement from 1971 to 1993.

Type
Articles
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 41 , Issue 1 , 1999 , pp. 9 - 15
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

References

Aniol, RW. 1983. Tree-ring analysis using CATRAS. Dendrochronologia 1: 45–53.Google Scholar
Baillie, MGL, Pilcher, JR. 1973. A simple crossdating program for tree-ring research. Tree-Ring Bulletin 33:7–14.Google Scholar
Bonde, N, Bartholin, T, Christensen, K, Eriksen, OH. 1994. Dendrokronologiske dateringsresultater på Nationalmuseet 1993. Arkœologiske Udgravninger i Danmark 1993:305–21.Google Scholar
Christensen, K. 1997. Oak trunks from the Halsskov Fjord. In: Pedersen, L, Fischer, A, Aaby, B, editors. The Danish Storebœlt since the Ice Age: man, sea and forest. Copenhagen: A/S Storebæltsforbindelsen. 339 p.Google Scholar
Long, A. 1990. A quality assurance protocol for radiocarbon laboratories. Radiocarbon 32(3):393–7.Google Scholar
Pearson, GW, Stuiver, M. 1993. High-precision bidecadal calibration of the radiocarbon time scale, 500–2500 BC. Radiocarbon 35(1):25–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pilcher, JR. 1993. Radiocarbon dating and the palynologist: a realistic approach to precision and accuracy. In: Chambers, FM, editor. Climate change and human impact on the landscape. Chapter 3. London: Chapman and Hall. p 23–32.Google Scholar
Scott, EM, Harkness, DD and Cook, GT. 1998. Interlaboratory comparisons: lessons learned. Radiocarbon 40(1):331–40.Google Scholar
Stuiver, M, Pearson, GW. 1993. High-precision bidecadal calibration of the radiocarbon time scale, AD 1950–500 BC and 2500–6000 BC. Radiocarbon 35(1):1–24.Google Scholar
Stuiver, M, Reimer, PJ. 1993. Extended 14C data base and revised CALIB 3.0 14C age calibration program. In: Stuiver, M, Long, A, Kra, RS, editors. Calibration 1993. Radiocarbon 35(1):215–30.Google Scholar
Tauber, H. 1977. An assessment of the C-14 dating method. The Nordic Conference on thermoluminescence dating and other archaeometric methods. Uppsala University, Sweden, November 1976. Roskilde: Risø National Laboratory. p 5–24.Google Scholar
Tyers, IG. 1997. Dendro for windows program guide [computer documentation]. ARCUS Report 340. Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield.Google Scholar
Valastro, S, Land, LS, Varela, AG. 1977. An improved procedure for wet oxidation of the 14C NBS Oxalic acid and standard. Radiocarbon 19(3):375–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar