The magnitude of error in conventional bulk-sediment radiocarbon dates from central North America

2009/07/10 by Eric C. Grimm, Louis J. Maher, L. James Maher +1 · 178 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Social Sciences · #Accelerator mass spectrometry #Archaeology and ancient environmental studies #Chronology #Geography #Geology #Geology and Paleoclimatology Research #Holocene #Macrofossil #Oceanography #Paleontology #Physical geography #Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology #Radiocarbon dating #Sediment

paper · doi:10.1016/j.yqres.2009.05.006

published in Quaternary Research 72(2), 301-308 (Cambridge University Press)

openalex publication_date 2009/07/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30

Abstract

Abstract Although the carbon-reservoir problem with bulk-sediment radiocarbon dates from lakes has long been recognized, many synoptic studies continue to use chronologies derived from such dates. For four sites in central North America, we evaluate chronologies based on conventional radiocarbon dates from bulk sediment versus chronologies based on accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates from terrestrial plant macrofossils. The carbon-reservoir error varies among sites and temporally at individual sites from 0 to 8000 yr. An error of 500–2000 yr is common. This error has important implications for the resolution of precise event chronologies.

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