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Science 7 April 1978:
Vol. 200. no. 4337, pp. 16 - 21
DOI: 10.1126/science.200.4337.16
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Articles

North American Glacial History Extended to 75,000 Years Ago

Minze Stuiver 1, Calvin J. Heusser 2, and In Che Yang 3

1 Professor in the Departments of Zoology and Geological Sciences, Quaternary Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle 98195
2 Professor in the Department of Biology, New York University, New York 10003
3 Research assistant professor in the Department of Geological Sciences, Quaternary Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle 98195

By concentrating carbon-14 through thermal diffusion, it is possible to extend the range of carbon-14 dating to 75,000 years ago. Samples with very low contamination levels have been encountered, and a reliable chronology appears possible. A Pacific Northwest climatic curve has been derived from palynological studies. The Pacific Northwest curve and the Great Lakes glacial history are age-calibrated by radiocarbon dating. The climatic patterns in the Pacific Northwest and Northwest Europe are similar in the early part of the last glaciation, with interstades near 60,000, 65,000, and 70,000 years ago. An age of 74,700 years for the St. Pierre interstade indicates a possible correlation with the previous interglacial.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Oceanic Mechanisms for Amplification of the 23,000-Year Ice-Volume Cycle.
W. F. Ruddiman, W. F. Ruddiman, and A. McIntyre (1981)
Science 212, 617-627
   Abstract »    PDF »
Carbon-14 Dating: A Comparison of Beta and Ion Counting.
M. Stuiver and M. STUIVER (1978)
Science 202, 881-883
   Abstract »    PDF »


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