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Reduction in Backgrounds of Microsamples for AMS 14C Dating

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

D. L. Kirner ,
R. E. Taylor  and
John R. Southon
D. L. Kirner
Affiliation:
Radiocarbon Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521-0418 USA
R. E. Taylor
Affiliation:
Radiocarbon Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Riverside, California 92521-0418 USA Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Riverside, California 92521-0418 USA
John R. Southon
Affiliation:
Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, University of California, Livermore, California 94550 USA
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Abstract

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Vogel, Nelson and Southon (1987) determined that the total-system 14C background values in catalytically reduced graphitic carbon samples of 500 mg or less were inversely proportional to their weights. We have used wood reportedly of Pliocene age (i.e., 14C “dead”) to further examine this relation. Our observations are consistent with the conclusions of Vogel, Nelson and Southon (1987). It appears that contamination can be characterized as if a constant level of modern carbon is being added. We also report a significant overall net reduction in total system background values ca. 45% for combusted samples from levels previously reported by Vogel, Nelson and Southon (1987).

Type
V. Advances in Measurement Techniques
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 37 , Issue 2 , 1995 , pp. 697 - 704
Copyright
Copyright © the Department of Geosciences, The University of Arizona 

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