7529
Accession Number
31902
Author
Russ, John; Hyman, Marian; Rowe, Marvin
Author Affiliation
Texas A&M University
Title Of Article Chaper
Direct radiocarbon dating of rock art
Title Of Journal Book
Radiocarbon
Volume
34
Issue
3
Pages
867-872
Collation
figs., tables
Reference Bibliography
refs.
ISSN
0033-8222
Language Of Text
English
Language Of Summary
English
Literature Type
Serial
Literature Level
Analytic
Abstract
In carbon-14 dating of pictographs, a low-temperature oxygen plasma coupled with high-vacuum techniques is used to remove carbon-containing material selectively in the paint without contamination from the rock substrate, even if limestone (CaCO<sub>3</sub></sub). In addition to one previously published measurement, two more pictograph samples were analyzed, which are in accord with archaeological inference. A sample of known age charcoal, also processed by this method, matched the control. This technique produces little mass fractionation, the maximum deltacarbon-13 being 0.16per thousand from the untreated sample. Limestone decomposition does not occur during this procedure. Although the technique development is in its infancy, these new results demonstrate that this nondestructive technique has great potential for producing accurate carbon-14 ages.
pub_id
7529