Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-mp689 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T04:41:14.568Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Building Confidence in Shell: Variations in the Marine Radiocarbon Reservoir Correction for the Northwest Coast Over the Past 3,000 Years

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Jennie N. Deo ,
John O. Stone  and
Julie K. Stein
Jennie N. Deo
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-3100 (jdeo@u.washington.edu)
John O. Stone
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-1310 (stone@ess.washington.edu)
Julie K. Stein
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-3100 (jkstein@u.washington.edu)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In many regions, fluctuations have occurred through time in the local 14C activity of seawater. Evaluating these shifts and their effects on 14C age estimates is difficult, and, as a result, archaeologists working in coastal settings tend to preferentially date charcoal samples over shell. Our research on 18 charcoal–shell pairs from Puget Sound and Gulf of Georgia archaeological sites helps elucidate the spatial and temporal dynamics associated with marine reservoir effects in the Pacific Northwest. This analysis suggests that between 0 and 500 B.P. the regional correction value (ΔR) is 400 years, which agrees with the modern value determined by Stuiver and others. Between 500 and 1200 B.P., however, ΔR dips close to zero, possibly reflecting a decrease in offshore upwelling. From 1200 to 3000 B.P., ΔR returns to 400 years. These data are presented as a Puget Sound/Gulf of Georgia regional correction curve for the late Holocene, which local researchers may use to calibrate dates of marine shell. In addition, we detail our methods for constructing calibration curves and present guidelines for archaeologists working in other coastal settings to develop calibration curves for their regions.

Resumen

Resumen

A través del tiempo, en muchas regiones, han ocurrido fluctuaciones en los niveles locales de C14 del agua del mar. Evaluar estos cambios y sus impactos en las estimaciones del C14 es dificil, y como resultado, arqueólogos que trabajan en áreas costeras tienden a preferir dataciones de carbón vegetal en lugar de dataciones provenientes de conchas marinas. Nuestra investigación de 18 pares de carbón vegetal y conchas provenientes de sitios arqueológicos de Puget Sound y el Golfo de Georgia, ayuda a elucidar las dinámicas espacio-temporales asociadas con los efectos del reservorio marino en el Pacifico Noroeste. Este análisis sugiere que entre 0 y 500 años A.P. el valor corrector regional (ΔR) es de años, lo cual concuerda con el valor moderno determinado por Stuiver y otros; sin embargo entre 500 y 1200 años A.P. el valor de ΔR se acerca a cero, posiblemente reflejando un descenso en el flujo de agua procedente de las profundidades del mar abierto; entre 1200 y 3000 años A.P. el valor ΔR retorna a 400 años. Estos datos son presentados como una curva de corrección regional para el Puget Sound y el Golfo de Georgia durante el Holoceno tardío, la cual puede ser utilizada por investigadores locales para calibrar fechas obtenidas de conchas marinas. Se detallan tambien nuestros métodos para construir curvas de calibración, y se presentan directrices para que arqueólogos que trabajan en otras zonas costeras desarrollen sus propias curvas de calibración.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 69 , Issue 4 , October 2004 , pp. 771 - 786
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 2004

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

References Cited

Barkan, Frances B. (editor) 1987 The Wilkes Expedition : Puget Sound and the Oregon Country. Washington State Capital Museum, Olympia.Google Scholar
Barnett, Homer G. 1955 The Coast Salish of British Columbia. University of Oregon Monographs, Studies in Anthropology No. 4. Eugene.Google Scholar
Baumgartner, T. R., and Southon, J. 1996 A 1500-Year Radiocarbon Record of Near-Surface Ocean Reservoir Ages Obtained from the Varved Sediments of the Santa Barbara Basin, California. Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union 1996 Fall Meeting Supplement 77(46) : 298. San Francisco.Google Scholar
Eells, Myron 1887 The Puget Sound Indians. The American Antiquarian 9 : 211–219.Google Scholar
Eggertsson, Ólafur 1993 Origin of the Driftwood on the Coasts of Iceland : A Dendrochronological Study. Jökull 43 : 15–32.Google Scholar
Elmendorf, William W. 1992 [1960] The Structure of Twana Culture (with comparative notes on the structure of Yurok culture by Alfred, L. Kroeber). Reprint. Washington State University Press, Pullman.Google Scholar
Erlandson, Jon M., and Moss, Madonna L. 1999 The Systematic Use of Radiocarbon Dating in Archaeological Surveys in Coastal and Other Erosional Environments. American Antiquity 64 : 431–443.Google Scholar
Fisher, Robin 1977 Contact and Conflict : Indian-European Relations in British Columbia, 1774-1890. University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver.Google Scholar
Gunther, Erna 1972 Indian Life on the Northwest Coast of North America : As Seen by the Early Explorers and Fur Traders during the Last Decades of the Eighteenth Century. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.Google Scholar
HoggAlan G., , Thomas, F. G. Higham, and Dahm, J. 1998 l4C Dating of Modern Marine and Estuarine Shellfish. Radiocarbon 40 : 975–984.Google Scholar
Ingram, B. Lynn 1998 Differences in Radiocarbon Age between Shell and Charcoal from a Holocene Shellmound in Northern California. Quaternary Research 49 : 102–110.Google Scholar
Ingram, B. Lynn, and R. Southon, John 1996 Reservoir Ages in Eastern Pacific Coastal and Estuarine Waters. Radiocarbon 38 : 573–582.Google Scholar
Josenhans, Heiner, Fedje, Daryl, Pienitz, Reinhard, and Southon, John 1997 Early Humans and Rapidly Changing Holocene Sea Levels in the Queen Charlotte Islands-Hecate Strait, British Columbia, Canada. Science 277 : 71–74.Google Scholar
KennettDouglas J., , Lynn Ingram, B., Jon, M. Erlandson, and Walker, Phillip 1997 Evidence for Temporal Fluctuations in Marine Radiocarbon Reservoir Ages in the Santa Barbara Channel, Southern California. Journal of Archaeological Science 24 : 1051–1059.Google Scholar
KennettDouglas J., , Lynn Ingram, B., John, R. Southon, and Wise, Karen 2002 Differences in 14C Age between Stratigraphically Associated Charcoal and Marine Shell from the Archaic. Radiocarbon 44 : 53–58.Google Scholar
Kovanen, D. J., and Easterbrook, D. J. 2002 Paleodeviations of Radiocarbon Marine Reservoir Values for the Northeast Pacific. Geology 30 : 243–246.Google Scholar
Little, Elizabeth A. 1993 Radiocarbon Age Calibration at Archaeological Sites of Coastal Massachusetts and Vicinity. Journal of Archaeological Science 20 : 451–471.Google Scholar
Mitchell, Donald H. 1971 Archaeology of the Gulf of Georgia Area : A Natural Region and Its Culture Type. Syesis 4, Supplement 1 : 1–228.Google Scholar
Mitchell, Donald H. 1990 Prehistory of the Coasts of Southern British Columbia and Northern Washington. In Handbook of North American Indians, Vol 7 : Northwest Coast, edited by Suttles, Wayne, pp. 340–358. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. Google Scholar
Morgan, Murray C. 1979 Puget's Sound : A Narrative of Early Tacoma and the Southern Sound. University of Washington Press, Seattle.Google Scholar
Nugent, Ann 1982 Lummi Elders Speak. Lummi Indian Business Council and Lynden Tribune, Lynden, Washington.Google Scholar
Robinson, Stephen W., and Thompson, Gail 1981 Radiocarbon Corrections for Marine Shell Dates with Application to Southern Pacific Northwest Coast Prehistory. Syesis 14 : 45–57.Google Scholar
Sea, Debra S., and Whitlock, Cathy 1995 Postglacial Vegetation and Climate of the Cascade Range, Central Oregon. Quaternary Research 43 : 370–381.Google Scholar
Southon, J. R., Nelson, D. E., and Vogel, J. S. 1990 A Record of Past Ocean-Atmosphere Radiocarbon Differences from the Northeast Pacific. Paleoceanography 5(2) : 197–206.Google Scholar
Stein, Julie K. 2000 Exploring Coast Salish Prehistory : The Archaeology of San Juan Island. University of Washington Press, Seattle.Google Scholar
Stein, Julie K. (editor) 1992 Deciphering a Shell Midden. Academic Press, San Diego.Google Scholar
Stein, Julie K., Deo, Jennie N., and Phillips, Laura S. 2003 Big Sites-Short Time : Accumulation Rates in Archaeological Sites. Journal of Archaeological Science 30 : 297–316.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stein, Julie K., and Phillips, Laura S. (editors) 2002 Vashon Island Archaeology : A View from Burton Acres Shell Midden. University of Washington Press, Seattle.Google Scholar
Strickland, Richard M. 1983 The Fertile Fjord : Plankton in Puget Sound. University of Washington Press, Seattle.Google Scholar
Stuiver, Minze, and Braziunas, Thomas F. 1993 Modeling Atmospheric 14C Influences and l4C Ages of Marine Samples to 10, 000 BC. Radiocarbon 35 : 137–189.Google Scholar
Stuiver, Minze, Pearson, Gordon W., and Braziunas, Thomas F. 1986 Radiocarbon Age Calibration of Marine Samples Back to 9000 Cal B. P. Radiocarbon 28 : 980–1021.Google Scholar
Stuiver, Minze, and Polach, Henry A. 1977 Discussion : Reporting of l4C Data. Radiocarbon 19 : 355–363.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stuiver, Minze, and Quay, Paul D. 1980 Changes in Atmospheric Carbon-14 Attributed to a Variable Sun. Science 207 : 11–19.Google Scholar
Stuiver, Minze, and Reimer, Paula J. 1993 Extended 14C Database and Revised CALIB 3. 0 l4C Age Calibration Program. Radiocarbon 35 : 215–230. Google Scholar
Stuiver, Minze, Reimer, Paula J., Bard, Edouard, Warren Beck, J., Burr, G. S., Konrad, A. Hughen, Bernd, Kromer, Gerry, McCormac, Johannes van der, Plicht, and Marco, Spurk 1998a INTCAL98 Radiocarbon Age Calibration, 24, 000-0 Cal B. P. Radiocarbon 40 : 1041–1083.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stuiver, Minze, Reimer, Paula J., Bard, Edouard, Warren Beck, J., Burr, G. S., Konrad, A. Radiocarbon Age Calibration for Terrestrial and Marine Samples. Radiocarbon 40 : 1127–1151.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suttles, Wayne 1983 Productivity and Its Constraints : A Coast Salisti Case. In Indian Art Traditions of the Northwest Coast, edited by L. Carlson, Roy, pp. 67–87. Archaeology Press, Burnaby, British Columbia.Google Scholar
Tanaka, N., Monaghan, M. C., and Ry, D. M. 1986 Contribution of Metabolic Carbon to Mollusc and Barnacle Shell Carbonate. Nature 320 : 520–523.Google Scholar
Taylor, R. E. 1987 Radiocarbon Dating : An Archaeological Perspective. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Ulm, Sean 2002 Marine and Estuarine Reservoir Effects in Central Queensland, Australia : Determination of ΔR Values. Geoarchaeology 17 : 319–348.CrossRefGoogle Scholar