Abstract
This section summarizes the use of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) for radiocarbon dating measurements. It expands on the principles already laid out in the sections on 'Principles of Radiocarbon Dating' and 'Conventional Radiocarbon Dating.' The great advantage of AMS is that it allows dating of very small, submilligram (<0.5. mg C) samples of carbon to routine precisions of about 0.3% (±24 radiocarbon years). Higher precisions, down to about 0.2%, can be obtained by longer counting times or multiple measurements.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science |
Subtitle of host publication | Second Edition |
Publisher | Elsevier Inc. |
Pages | 316-323 |
Number of pages | 8 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9780444536433 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780444536426 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2013 |
Keywords
- Accelerator mass spectrometry
- Age calculation
- Age determination
- Atom counting
- Radiocarbon dating
- Sample preparation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Earth and Planetary Sciences