Anomalous Radiocarbon Dates from Easter Island
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9245710 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kevin Butler (0000-0002-6219-1012), Christine A Prior, John R Flenley |
| Year | 2004 |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 395-405 |
| Publication date | 2004-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| 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/s0033822200039709 |
| OpenAlex | W2118141758 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 6 |
The largest volcanic crater on Easter Island in the South Pacific contains a lake 1 km in diameter with large floating mats of vegetation, mainly Scirpus californicus . A core taken through a mat near the center produced anomalous dates, with older dates above younger ones. The possibility that the mat had become inverted was considered, but palynological evidence refutes this idea because it shows a progressive upward decline of forest pollen, which is well known from other swamp cores on the island. A new series of radiocarbon dates made directly on pollen concentrates was obtained. These dates also produced inconsistencies, particularly when pollen concentrate ages were compared with 14 C ages on plant fragments from the same depth. This series of 14 C ages seems to indicate that both old and young organic components in the sediment are deposited contiguously and that the depositional history of these cores is more complex than previously known. Previous age determinations on bulk sediments from Easter Island, which also show anomalous dates, may be too simplistic. This paper provides a warning to other researchers dating sediments from Easter Island. We suggest that sample selection and dating procedures be carefully considered for these sediments
Absolute dating · Archaeology · Chronology · Crater lake · Geography · Impact crater · Palynology · Physical geography · Pollen · Radiocarbon dating · Sediment · Sedimentary depositional environment · Swamp · Tephra · Volcano · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Isotope Analysis in Ecology · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Ecology · Geology · Paleontology
Drought, vegetation change, and human history on Rapa Nui (Isla de Pascua, Easter Island)
Late Colonization of Easter Island
A Continuous Palynological Record of Forest Clearing at Rano Kao (Easter Island, SE Pacific) During the Last Millennium
An island-wide assessment of the chronology of settlement and land use on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) based on radiocarbon data
Rethinking Easter Island's ecological catastrophe
Evidence for a Shorter Chronology on Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
A 14kyr record of the tropical Andes
Modelling human population change on Easter Island far-from-equilibrium
| Unique citing works | 8 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.4 |
| Citation span | 2006 - 2019 (14) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 7 |