Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-vvkck Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-27T11:05:12.293Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Radon Problem in 14C Dating

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 July 2016

Reidar Nydal
Reidar Nydal*
Affiliation:
Radiological Dating Laboratory, The Norwegian Institute of Technology, Trondheim, Norway
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Due to traces of radium and uranium in most 14C samples, radon appears as a radioactive contamination in the CO2 prepared by combustion. This contamination must be removed by an active purification prodecure or by storing the CO2 prior to measurement. No effective electronic discrimination against radon and its daughter elements can be performed. The necessary storage time until radon has decayed varies widely, especially for marine shells. The latter material, collected from Norway and Svalbard, has been a main object for the present investigation. In a few cases, a measureable amount of radon may be left even after eight weeks. The behavior of radon and its daughter elements in a CO2 proportional counter has been studied.

Type
V. General Aspects of 14C Technique
Information
Radiocarbon , Volume 25 , Issue 2: 11th International Radiocarbon Conference , 1983 , pp. 501 - 510
Copyright
Copyright © The American Journal of Science 

References

Andersen, B G, Nydal, R, Wangen, O P, and Østmo, S, 1981, Weichselian before 15,000 years BP at Jæren-Karmøy in southwestern Norway: Boreas, v 10, p 297–314.Google Scholar
Kaufman, H, Broecker, W S, Ku, T L, and Thurber, D L, 1971, The status of the U-series methods of mollusc dating: Geochim et Cosmochim Acta, v 35, p 1155–1183.Google Scholar
Nydal, R, 1960, Trondheim natural radiocarbon measurements II: Radiocarbon, v 2, p 82–96.Google Scholar
Nydal, R, 1962, Trondheim natural radiocarbon measurements III: Radiocarbon, v 4, p 160–181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nydal, R, 1965, Ten years trial and error with the CO2 proportional counting technique in Trondheim, in : Washington DC, Clearinghouse for Fed Sci Tech Inf, NBS, p 1–16.Google Scholar
Nydal, R, 1977, Thorium-uranium dating of marine deposited calcium carbonate, in : Internatl conf, High Tatras, CSSR, p 345–349.Google Scholar
Sackett, W M, (ms) 1958, Ionium-uranium ratios in marine deposited calcium carbonates and related materials: PhD thesis, Washington Univ, St Louis, Missouri.Google Scholar
Salvigsen, O, and Nydal, R, 1981, The Weichselian glaciation in Svalbard before 15,000 BP: Boreas, v 10, p 434–446.Google Scholar
Thurber, D L, 1962, Anomalous 234U/238U in nature: J Geophys Res, v 62, p 4518–4520.Google Scholar
Vries, Hessel de, 1957, The removal of radon from CO2 for use in 14C age measurements: Appl Sci Research sec B, v 6, p 461–470.Google Scholar