Marine reservoir corrections : St. Helena, South Atlantic Ocean
We present the first marine reservoir age and ∆R determination for the island of St. Helena using marine mollusk radiocarbon dates obtained from an historical context of known age. This represents the first marine reservoir age and ∆R determination in the southern Atlantic Ocean within thousands of...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2008
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:6701 http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006737 |
| Summary: | We present the first marine reservoir age and ∆R determination for the island of St. Helena using marine mollusk radiocarbon dates obtained from an historical context of known age. This represents the first marine reservoir age and ∆R determination in the southern Atlantic Ocean within thousands of kilometers of the island. The depletion of 14C in the shells indicates a rather larger reservoir age for that portion of the surface Atlantic than models indicate. The implication is that upwelling old water along the Namibian coast is transported for a considerable distance, although it is likely to be variable on a decadal timescale. An artilleryman’s button, together with other artifacts found in a midden, demonstrate association of the mollusk shells with a narrow historic period of AD 1815–1835. |
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