Peat (14c)

Abstract

Radiocarbon dating of peat presents particular problems, not least due to the chemically and physically heterogeneous nature of this material, potentially comprising a mix of carbon-containing compounds with ages spanning several thousand years. Despite this,14C dates on peat provide crucial chronological information for a key source of climatic, archaeological, and paleoenvir-onmental data. To obtain the best results, in which both precision and accuracy of ages are maximized, careful sample selection and chemical pretreatment are required, which should be combined with consideration of potential calibration issues. The application of statistical approaches, such as wiggle-matching combined with Bayesian analysis, is likely to improve chronological resolution in instances where sufficient14 C dates are performed on a profile, as is the combination of14C measurements with other dating methods.