Radiocarbon age offsets between living organisms from the marine and continental reservoir in coastal localities of Patagonia (Argentina).

Abstract

The radiocarbon of the local reservoir effect (RE) was observed in many sectors along the Argentinean Patagonia coast. Results show variations in the (super 14) C offsets and differences between marine and continental species growing within the same locality, ranging from about 80-1100 yr BP. It is postulated that such variations are mainly due to local factors, including the coast morphology and the contribution of continental waters. The relevance of these kinds of studies for the interpretation of age in archaeological samples is highlighted in this paper.