Miami natural radiocarbon measurements I.

Abstract

All dates presented in this list are of deep-sea core samples collected from the Tongue of the Ocean, Bahamas, B. W. I. The material used for dating consisted of specific bulk calcilutite (silt- and clay-sized calcium carbonate) horizons which could provide 4 kinds of basic information: 1) rates of accumulation of bulk sediment, 2) periodicity of turbidite deposition, 3) estimates of the carbonate supply rate from the Bahama Banks to the Tongue of the Ocean, and 4) insight into the anomalous behavior of Ra (super 226) distribution in the sediments. All 28 samples were measured twice with at least a 1000-min counting period each and a minimum of 14 days between counting periods. The ages are calculated as usual by comparison to the NBS standard, but in the case of marine carbonate material, it has been taken into account the fact that sea-surface carbonate exhibits an apparent age of ca. 400 yr, or a - value of -50 + or - 12%,(where + or - 12 is the standard deviation for a single sample).