No abstract

“Surface‐enrichment” is a term which is now commonly used to describe the composition changes which have taken place during the life of a buried noble metal alloy. In fact “surface depletion” might be a better term, since it seems likely that it is the leaching out of the less chemically stable elements which causes the surface composition to change. However, I have kept to the more frequently used term throughout the following discussion.

In an effort to make measurements readily available as soon as possible, dates from the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator will now be published regularly in Archaeometry. These datelists will not be a substitute for final publication in Radiocarbon, which is desirable for all dates, but are intended to serve as a formal interim publication of dates, so that they can be cited.