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Factors affecting the accuracy of the carbon-dating method in soil humus studies

Date

1967-08

Authors

McCallum, K. J., author
Rennie, D. A., author
Paul, Eldor A., author
Campbell, C. A., author
Williams and Wilkins Co., publisher

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Abstract

Factors affecting the accuracy of the carbon-dating method of analysis have been discussed by several workers (1, 3, 13, 14). Since, however, these workers were interested primarily in archeological and geological applications of carbon-dating, they were most concerned with the absolute age of a sample. All "young" materials, for example fulvates, were therefore extracted and discarded before a sample was dated. In soil science it is not the absolute but the average age or mean residence time (m.r.t.) of the soil humus and soil humus components that is important. Thus the presence of younger fractions in a sample does not invalidate the results, and all organic fractions are dated. Some of the factors which might affect the accuracy of this method as applied to soil science were mentioned briefly by Paul et al. (12). This paper presents data and discusses some of these factors more fully. The factors examined are: precision of analytical techniques, isotopic fractionation, incorporation of nuclear-bomb-produced Cl4 into humus, and contamination by re-use or soil-respired CO2.

Description

This is a non-final version of an article published in final form in Soil Science 104, no. 2 (August 1967): 81-85. Publisher version: http://journals.lww.com/soilsci/Citation/1967/08000/FACTOR_AFFECTING_THE_ACCURACY_OF_THE_CARBONDATING.2.aspx.

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Subject

soil humic fractions
carbon-dating
soil humic components

Citation

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