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Implications for the Dating of Wisconsinan (Weichselian) Late-Glacial Events of Systematic Radiocarbon Age Differences between Terrestrial Plant Macrofossils from a Site in SW Ireland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Chris S.M. Turney ,
G. Russell Coope ,
Doug D. Harkness ,
J. John Lowe  and
Michael J.C. Walker
Chris S.M. Turney
Affiliation:
Centre for Quaternary Research, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, United Kingdom
G. Russell Coope
Affiliation:
Centre for Quaternary Research, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, United Kingdom
Doug D. Harkness
Affiliation:
NERC Radiocarbon Laboratory, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, East Kilbride, Glasgow, G75 0QU, United Kingdom
J. John Lowe
Affiliation:
Centre for Quaternary Research, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, United Kingdom
Michael J.C. Walker
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, University of Wales, Lampeter, Ceredigion, Wales, SA48 7ED, United Kingdom
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Abstract

AMS radiocarbon dates were obtained from Salix herbacea leaves, Carex seeds, and bulk organic detritus from a lake sediment profile of Wisconsinan (Weichselian) Lateglacial age in SW Ireland. There is a systematic age difference between the dated series from the two types of macrofossils, with ages obtained from Salix herbacea leaves being 900 to 1500 14C years younger than those obtained from Carex seeds. The latter tend to be more in accord with dates from the total organic detritus in the lake sediment, although the bulk organic fraction invariably registered the older ages. Intact survival of the fragile Salix leaves indicates that they are unlikely to have been physically transferred within the sediment matrix and/or otherwise reworked from the surrounding catchment. Hence, these macrofossils are the more likely to be contemporaneous with the time of deposition. However, there is no significant correlation between measured 14C age and depth in the Salix values, which scatter over a range of 700 14C years. In contrast, the age/depth relationship for Carex shows a significant reversal, possibly reflecting the redeposition of these macrofossils, and therefore giving radiocarbon ages that are anomalously old. The data have important implications for the dating of lake sediment sequences by AMS radiocarbon measurement of terrestrial plant macrofossils.

Keywords

AMS radiocarbon datesstable carbon isotope ratiosFinglas River, Irelandplant macrofossil samplesmineral carbon errorfossil redeposition
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 53 , Issue 1 , January 2000 , pp. 114 - 121
Copyright
University of Washington

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