1997/05/01 by Yang Wang, A. Hope Jahren, Ronald Amundson · 3 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · Chemistry · #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies #Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology #Maritime and Coastal Archaeology #Aragonite #Carbonate #Geology #Quaternary #Pleistocene #Holocene #Mineralogy #Archaeology #Paleontology #Calcite #Chemistry #Geography
paper · doi:10.1006/qres.1997.1894
openalex publication_date 1997/05/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/26
Hackberry endocarp ( Celtis sp.) contains significant amounts (up to 70 wt%) of biogenic carbonate that is nearly pure aragonite (CaCO 3 ). Because of their high mineral content, hackberry endocarps are found abundantly in Tertiary and Quaternary sediments and are very common in many North American archaeological sites. We analyzed the 14 C content of different components of modern hackberries including the biogenic carbonate in hackberry endocarps collected at known times over the past century. The 14 C content of the endocarp carbonate accurately records the 14 C content of the atmosphere. 14 C dates of fossil endocarp carbonates compared favorably with dates obtained by other means at archaeological and geological sites ranging in age from the late Pleistocene through the early Holocene. We therefore suggest that hackberry endocarp is a suitable substrate for 14 C dating provided that its morphological and mineralogical integrity is preserved.