Resolving an Anomolous Radiocarbon Determination on Mastodon Bone from Monte Verde, Chile

Datos Bibliográficos

ID2591687
AutoresDebra George (University of California, Davis, autor de correspondencia), John Southon (0000-0001-6168-6235, University of California, Irvine), R E Taylor (0000-0001-5299-8296, University of California, Riverside)
Año2005
Volumen70
Número4
Páginas766-772
Fecha de publicación2005-10-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAmerican Antiquity (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0002-7316 • E-ISSN: 2325-5064
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/40035873
OpenAlexW2325532461
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas11
Referencias citadas21

Previous 14C determinations obtained on two segments of a single mastodon bone recovered from Monte Verde, Chile, were highly discordant, differing by more than 5,000 years. Because of the significance of this site in discussions concerning the earliest peopling of the Western Hemisphere, additional 14C and new δ13C values have been obtained on organic fractions isolated from both segments. The constituent amino acid profiles indicate that both bone segments retain significant amounts of protein (mostly collagen) residues. Four accelerator mass spectrometry-based 14C values obtained on total amino acids and ultrafiltered gelatin fractions-two from each segment-are statistically identical and indicate an age of 12,460 (± 30) BP for the mastodon. This value is concordant with 14C values obtained on other culturally affiliated organics associated with the MV-II levels at this site

Accelerator mass spectrometry · Archaeology · Geography · Mineralogy · Monte Carlo method · Radiocarbon dating · Statistics · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Chemistry · Geology · Mathematics · Paleopathology and ancient diseases · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology