Improving the 14 C Dating of Marine Shells from the Canary Islands for Constructing More Reliable and Accurate Chronologies

Datos Bibliográficos

ID9241981
AutoresJosé M Matos Martins, Alfredo Mederos Martín, Paulo J Cesário Portela, António M Monge Soares
Año2012
Volumen54
Número3-4
Páginas943-952
Fecha de publicación2012-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaRadiocarbon (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0033-8222 • E-ISSN: 1945-5755
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0033822200047585
OpenAlexW1874794644
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas20

Radiocarbon dating of closely associated marine mollusk shells and terrestrial material (charred wood or bone) collected from archaeological contexts on Tenerife and Fuerteventura islands allowed us to quantify the marine 14 C reservoir effect (ΔR) around the Canary Archipelago. Coastal Fuerteventura has a positive weighted mean ΔR value of +185 ± 30 14 C yr, while for Tenerife a range of negative and positive values was obtained, resulting in a ΔR weighted mean value of 0 ± 35 14 C yr. These values are in accordance with the hydrodynamic system present off the Canary Islands characterized by a coastal upwelling regime that affects the eastern islands (Fuerteventura and Lanzarote) but not the other islands of the archipelago, namely Tenerife. Because of this oceanographic pattern, we recommend the extrapolation of these results to the remaining islands of the archipelago, i.e. the first value must be used for the eastern islands, while for the central and western islands the acceptable ΔR value is 0 ± 35 14 C yr

Archipelago · Extrapolation · Radiocarbon dating · Upwelling · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology · Geology · Oceanography · Paleontology