Accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating of rock varnish

Rock varnish microlamination dating of late Quaternary geomorphic features in the drylands of western USA

“…Varnish microlaminations as a correlative dating technique are relatively new and different in principle from and independent of both cation-ratio and AMS 14 C methods (Dorn, 1983;Dorn et al, 1989). This technique was first used by Dorn (1988) to study the chronostratigraphy of alluvial fan deposits in Death Valley.…”

Dryland Alluvial Fans

“…In the years that followed there has been consolidation of these themes (Hooke andRohrer, 1977, 1979;Lecce, 1991;Blair andMcPherson, 1994a, 1998;Blair, 1999), but the response of fans to Quaternary climatic change has emerged as a major theme (Dorn et al, 1989;Bull, 1991;Hooke and Dorn, 1992;Weissmann, Mount and Fogg, 2002;Weissmann, Bennett and Lansdale, 2005). This has been aided by development of understanding of soil/geomorphic relationships (Gile, Peterson and Grossman, 1966;Harden, 1982;Harden and Taylor, 1983;Machette, 1985), desert varnish Oberlander, 1981, 1982;Dorn, 1988Dorn, , 1994 and desert pavement development, especially aiding the relative dating of fan surfaces (Lattman, 1973;Wells, McFadden and Dohrenwend, 1987;McFadden, Wells and Jercinavich, 1987;McFadden, Ritter and Wells, 1989).…”

“…Hunt and Mabey, 1966;Harvey and Wells, 2003). It has been argued that trace carbon content in varnish may allow the radiocarbon dating of desert surfaces (Dorn et al, 1989) and that other detailed analytical techniques may not only reveal age information (Dorn, 1983) but also give other palaeoenvironmental signals (Dorn, 1984;Dorn, De Niro and Ajie, 1987). There is, however, some controversy about this methodology.…”

Holocene rock varnish microstratigraphy and its chronometric application in the drylands of western USA

“…terminology in Colman et al, 1987) is relatively new and different in principle and independent of both cation-ratio and AMS 14 C methods (Dorn, 1983;Dorn et al, 1989). It was first used by Dorn (1988) to study the chronostratigraphy of alluvial fan deposits in Death Valley, California.…”