Investigating classical χ2 test methods for high-precision calibration of radiocarbon measurements
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6447971 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Andrea Scifo (0000-0002-7174-3966), Michael W Dee (0000-0002-3116-453X) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 67 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 646-655 |
| Publication date | 2025-03-27 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Radiocarbon (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0033-8222 • E-ISSN: 1945-5755 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/rdc.2025.9 |
| OpenAlex | W4408911609 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 28 |
Sudden annual rises in radiocarbon concentration have proven to be valuable assets for achieving exact-year calibration of radiocarbon measurements. These extremely precise calibrations have usually been obtained through the use of classical χ 2 tests in conjunction with a local calibration curve of single-year resolution encompassing a rapid change in radiocarbon levels. As the latest Northern Hemisphere calibration curve, IntCal20, exhibits single-year resolution over the last 5000 years, in this study we investigate the possibility of performing calibration of radiocarbon dates using the classical χ 2 test and achieving high-precision dating more extensively, examining scenarios without the aid of such abrupt changes in radiocarbon concentration. In order to perform a broad analysis, we simulated 171 sets of radiocarbon measurements over the last two millennia, with different set lengths and sample spacings, and tested the effectiveness of the χ 2 test compared to the most commonly used Bayesian wiggle-matching technique for temporally ordered sequences of samples such as tree-rings sequences, the OxCal D_Sequence. The D_Sequence always produces a date range, albeit in certain cases very narrow; the χ 2 test proves to be a viable alternative to Bayesian wiggle-matching, as it achieves calibrations of comparable precision, providing also a highest-likelihood estimate within the uncertainty range
Absolute dating · Calibration · Physics · Radiocarbon dating · Radiochemistry · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Chemistry · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Geology · Paleontology
A signature of cosmic-ray increase in ad 774–775 from tree rings in Japan
Methods and code for ‘classical’ age-modelling of radiocarbon sequences
Flexible paleoclimate age-depth models using an autoregressive gamma process
BCal
The intercept is a poor estimate of a calibrated radiocarbon age
Development of the Radiocarbon Calibration Program
Methods for Summarizing Radiocarbon Datasets
Radiocarbon Dating to a Single Year by Means of Rapid Atmospheric 14 C Changes
Radiocarbon Calibration and Analysis of Stratigraphy
Bayesian Analysis of Radiocarbon Dates
On the Relationship Between Radiocarbon Dates and True Sample Ages
Calibration of Radiocarbon Ages by Computer
A Computer Program for Radiocarbon Age Calibration
Extended 14 C Data Base and Revised Calib 3.0 14 C Age Calibration Program
A Note on Calibration Curves
Evolution of Radiocarbon Calibration
The IntCal20 Northern Hemisphere Radiocarbon Age Calibration Curve (0–55 cal kBP)
| Highly cited | No |
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