The Greenland Ice Core Chronology 2005, 15–42ka. Part 1: constructing the time scale

Andersen, Ken Haste; Svensson, Anders; Johnsen, S. J.; Rasmussen, Sune Olander; Bigler, Matthias; Röthlisberger, Regine; Ruth, Urs; Siggaard-Andersen, Marie-Louise; Steffensen, Jørgen Peder; Dahl-Jensen, Dorthe; Vinther, Bo M.; Clausen, Henrik

doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2006.08.002

Cited by 625 publications

(334 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Although the date's relationship to human activity may be questioned, it is currently the only accurate date near H4 in southern Iberia. H4 is shown in gray and the Greenland Interstadials are numbered against the NGRIP δ 18 O record (47,48). Radiocarbon dates are calibrated against IntCal09 (49) in OxCal v4.1 (50).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiocarbon dating casts doubt on the late chronology of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in southern Iberia

Wood

Barroso-Ruíz²,

Caparrós

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

200

143

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It is commonly accepted that some of the latest dates for Neanderthal fossils and Mousterian industries are found south of the Ebro valley in Iberia at ca. 36 ka calBP (calibrated radiocarbon date ranges). In contrast, to the north of the valley the Mousterian disappears shortly before the Proto-Aurignacian appears at ca. 42 ka calBP. The latter is most likely produced by anatomically modern humans. However, two-thirds of dates from the south are radiocarbon dates, a technique that is particularly sensitive to carbon contaminants of a younger age that can be difficult to remove using routine pretreatment protocols. We have attempted to test the reliability of chronologies of 11 southern Iberian Middle and early Upper Paleolithic sites. Only two, Jarama VI and Zafarraya, were found to contain material that could be reliably dated. In both sites, Middle Paleolithic contexts were previously dated by radiocarbon to less than 42 ka calBP. Using ultrafiltration to purify faunal bone collagen before radiocarbon dating, we obtain ages at least 10 ka 14 C years older, close to or beyond the limit of the radiocarbon method for the Mousterian at Jarama VI and Neanderthal fossils at Zafarraya. Unless rigorous pretreatment protocols have been used, radiocarbon dates should be assumed to be inaccurate until proven otherwise in this region. Evidence for the late survival of Neanderthals in southern Iberia is limited to one possible site, Cueva Antón, and alternative models of human occupation of the region should be considered.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiocarbon dating casts doubt on the late chronology of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in southern Iberia

Wood

Barroso-Ruíz²,

Caparrós

et al. 2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

200

143

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“…More recently, a new age-scale has been devised for the NGRIP Greenland ice-core based on careful layer counting and associated uncertainty estimates (Andersen et al, 2006;Svensson et al, 2008). This new age-scale (hereafter referred to as GICC05) has in effect superseded previous Greenland age-scales, and one of its great advantages is that it possesses clearly defined uncertainty estimates.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We might therefore conclude that while much of the original discrepancy between GICC05 and SFCP04 can indeed be attributed to larger than expected glacial reservoir ages on the Iberian Margin, some may still be attributable to missing years in the GICC05 age-scale. Arguably, this type of bias might be expected, especially during the height of the last glacial period, when accumulation rates over Greenland were low and annual layers are therefore difficult to discern (Andersen et al, 2006).…”

Section: Absolute Calibration Of Greenland Revisitedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revisiting the absolute calibration of the Greenland ice-core age-scales*

Skinner

2008

Clim. Past

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Abstract.Recently, an absolute "calibration" was proposed for the GRIP and GISP2 Greenland ice-core time scales . This calibration attempted to reconcile the stratigraphic integration of ice-core, marine and speleothem archives with the absolute age constraints that marine and speleothem records incorporate. Here we revisit this calibration in light of the new layer-counted chronology of the NGRIP ice-core (GICC05). The GICC05 age-scale differs from the proposed absolute calibration by up to 1200 years late in the last glaciation, with implications both for radiocarbon cycling and the inferred timing of North Atlantic climate events relative to radiometrically dated archives (e.g. relative sea-level). By aligning the stratigraphy of Iberian Margin marine cores with that of the Greenland ice-cores, it can be shown that either: 1) the radiocarbon content of mid-latitude Atlantic surface-waters was extremely depleted (resulting in average surface reservoir ages up to 1700 years prior to ∼22 ka BP); or 2) the GICC05 age-scale includes too few years (is up to 1200 years too young). It is shown here that both of these possibilities are probably correct to some degree. Based on the assumed accuracy of coral and speleothem U-Th ages, Northeast Atlantic surface reservoir ages should be revised upward by ∼350 years, while the NGRIP age-scale appears to be "missing" time. These findings illustrate the utility of integrated stratigraphy as a test for our chronologies, which are rarely truly "absolute". This is an important point, since probably the worst error that we can make is to entrench and generalise a precise stratigraphical relationship on the basis of erroneous absolute age assignations.

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“…GI8 and GI12, with onsets of approximately 38.2 and approximately 46.8 ka BP, respectively [122,126,127]. Currently, it is unclear if such aged sequences are preserved in alluvial Island sediments.…”

Section: (C) Wider Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Fire history on the California Channel Islands spanning human arrival in the Americas

Hardiman

Scott

Pinter

et al. 2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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One contribution of 24 to a discussion meeting issue 'The interaction of fire and mankind'. Recent studies have suggested that the first arrival of humans in the Americas during the end of the last Ice Age is associated with marked anthropogenic influences on landscape; in particular, with the use of fire which, would have given even small populations the ability to have broad impacts on the landscape. Understanding the impact of these early people is complicated by the dramatic changes in climate occurring with the shift from glacial to interglacial conditions. Despite these difficulties, we here attempt to test the extent of anthropogenic influence using the California Channel Islands as a smaller, landscape-scale test bed. These islands are famous for the discovery of the 'Arlington Springs Man', which are some of the earliest human remains in the Americas. A unifying sedimentary charcoal record is presented from Arlington Canyon, Santa Rosa Island, based on over 20 detailed sedimentary sections from eight key localities. Radiocarbon dating was based on thin, fragile, long fragments of charcoal in order to avoid the 'inbuilt' age problem. Radiocarbon dating of 49 such fragments has allowed inferences regarding the fire and landscape history of the Canyon ca 19-11 ka BP. A significant period of charcoal deposition is identified approximately 14-12.5 ka BP and bears remarkable closeness to an estimated age range of the first human arrival on the islands.This article is part of the themed issue 'The interaction of fire and mankind'.

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The Greenland Ice Core Chronology 2005, 15–42ka. Part 1: constructing the time scale

Cited by 625 publications

References 36 publications

Radiocarbon dating casts doubt on the late chronology of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in southern Iberia

Radiocarbon dating casts doubt on the late chronology of the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in southern Iberia

Revisiting the absolute calibration of the Greenland ice-core age-scales*

Fire history on the California Channel Islands spanning human arrival in the Americas

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