Radiocarbon Dating of Arid-Zone Calcareous Paleosols

Research Article| November 01, 1971 Radiocarbon Dating of Arid-Zone Calcareous Paleosols GEORGE E WILLIAMS; GEORGE E WILLIAMS Department of Geology, University of Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia AUTHOR'S PRESENT ADDRESS: GEOSURVEYS OF AUSTRALIA PTY. LTD., 57 TODVILLE STREET, WOODVILLE WEST, SOUTH AUSTRALIA 5011, AUSTRALIA (WILLIAMS) Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar HENRY A POLACH HENRY A POLACH Department of Geophysics and Geochemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, A.C.T. 2600, Australia AUTHOR'S PRESENT ADDRESS: GEOSURVEYS OF AUSTRALIA PTY. LTD., 57 TODVILLE STREET, WOODVILLE WEST, SOUTH AUSTRALIA 5011, AUSTRALIA (WILLIAMS) Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information GEORGE E WILLIAMS AUTHOR'S PRESENT ADDRESS: GEOSURVEYS OF AUSTRALIA PTY. LTD., 57 TODVILLE STREET, WOODVILLE WEST, SOUTH AUSTRALIA 5011, AUSTRALIA (WILLIAMS) Department of Geology, University of Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia HENRY A POLACH AUTHOR'S PRESENT ADDRESS: GEOSURVEYS OF AUSTRALIA PTY. LTD., 57 TODVILLE STREET, WOODVILLE WEST, SOUTH AUSTRALIA 5011, AUSTRALIA (WILLIAMS) Department of Geophysics and Geochemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, A.C.T. 2600, Australia Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 24 Sep 1970 Revision Received: 05 May 1971 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Copyright © 1971, The Geological Society of America, Inc. Copyright is not claimed on any material prepared by U.S. government employees within the scope of their employment. GSA Bulletin (1971) 82 (11): 3069–3086. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1971)82[3069:RDOACP]2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 24 Sep 1970 Revision Received: 05 May 1971 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation GEORGE E WILLIAMS, HENRY A POLACH; Radiocarbon Dating of Arid-Zone Calcareous Paleosols. GSA Bulletin 1971;; 82 (11): 3069–3086. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1971)82[3069:RDOACP]2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Field study and radiocarbon dating of authigenic carbonate in arid-zone paleosols and calcretes have been carried out in Australia to determine the reliability of this method of soil dating.Three calcareous paleosols of late Quaternary age are developed within alluvial and eolian deposits on the Lake Torrens plain in arid South Australia. Dates for organic carbon obtained from the sediments show that soil-forming episodes took place shortly after 30,000 yrs B.P., between about 16,000 and 12,000 yrs B.P., and between 6,000 and 1,500 yrs B.P. Respective mean radiocarbon ages determined for pedogenic carbonate are (with approximate scatter) 27,450 (± 7,000) yrs B.P., 13,900 (± 2,000) yrs B.P., and 7,750 yrs (± 1,000) B.P. Although the great majority of the individual carbonate dates and the three mean dates are sound as relative ages, they are less reliable as absolute ages.A review of the literature reveals that most carbonate dates for arid-zone paleosols and calcretes which have been dated by coexisting organic carbon are from about 500 to 7,000 radiocarbon years too old. This is attributed to an initial low C14/C12 ratio in soil carbonate, reflecting low C14 content of source carbonate. Postformation contamination with C14 commonly appears to be minimal in the arid zone, where dates for micritic carbonate from well-drained sites should approximate to or be up to several thousand years older than true ages of soil formation. Age correction based on δC13 values for soil carbonate is invalid. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.