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(super 14) C dating of terrestrial moss in the Tern Lake deposits, Antarctica.

Chengde Shen, Tungsheng Liu, Weixi Yi, Yanmin Sun, Mantao Jiang, Juerg Beer, Georges Bonani

Abstract


Accurate radiocarbon ages were obtained from terrestrial moss from two drill holes in Tern Lake deposits, Antarctica, using liquid scintillation counting (LSC) and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The results show that the lake deposits have been accumulating since the end of the last glacial epoch ca. 12,600 cal BP at the rate of 0.13-1.1 mm a (super -1) . We discuss the validity of (super 14) C ages of Antarctic lake deposits, with respect to the latitude effect of (super 14) C productivity, the reservoir effect, the environment effect and the hard-water effect.

Keywords


boreholes;Antarctica;Scotia Sea Islands;water hardness;Fildes Peninsula;King George Island;moss;South Shetland Islands;Tern Lake;lake sediments;lacustrine environment;paleoenvironment;accelerator mass spectra;climate change;sedimentation;sedimentation rates;mass spectra;spectra;liquid scintillation methods;Plantae;Pleistocene;glaciation;sediments;Cenozoic;Quaternary;C 14;carbon;dates;isotopes;radioactive isotopes;carbon dioxide;absolute age

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