C-14 Measurements of Ice Samples from the Juvfonne Ice Tunnel, Jotunheimen, Southern Norway-Validation of a C-14 Dating Technique for Glacier Ice

• Published in: Radiocarbon
• Main Authors: Zapf, Alexander, Nesje, A., Szidat, Sönke, Wacker, L., Schwikowski, Margit
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Arizona Board of Regents, University of Arizona 2013
• Subjects: 540 Chemistry; Norway; glacier
• Online Access: https://boris.unibe.ch/47133/1/14c_measurements_of_ice_samples.pdf; https://boris.unibe.ch/47133/

Establishing precise age-depth relationships of high-alpine ice cores is essential in order to deduce conclusive paleoclimatic information from these archives. Radiocarbon dating of carbonaceous aerosol particles incorporated in such glaciers is a promising tool to gain absolute ages, especially from the deepest parts where conventional methods are commonly inapplicable. In this study, we present a new validation for a published C-14 dating method for ice cores. Previously C-14-dated horizons of organic material from the Juvfonne ice patch in central southern Norway (61.676 degrees N, 8.354 degrees E) were used as reference dates for adjacent ice layers, which were C-14 dated based on their particulate organic carbon (POC) fraction. Multiple measurements were carried out on 3 sampling locations within the ice patch featuring modern to multimillennial ice. The ages obtained from the analyzed samples were in agreement with the given age estimates. In addition to previous validation work, this independent verification gives further confidence that the investigated method provides the actual age of the ice.