Radiocarbon Dating of Peat Profile with Metallurgy Industry Evidence

Abstract

Abstract:In this work an age model for a peat core from the site near Żyglin, based on 14 C is presented. The investigated profile is marked with some possible evidence of early human activity in this region. The earliest metallurgy industry is expected to correspond with charcoal production and the recent increase of metal content in this profile. In this work the Quantulus 1220™ recently purchased was used for 14 C dating with liquid scintillation counting (LSC) technique. Therefore results of calibration, tests and verification with use of samples from inter-comparison programs (VIRI, FIRI) are also presented.

Mineral components in a peat deposit: looking for signs of early mining and smelting activities in Silesia–Cracow region (Southern Poland)

“…Within the period of 12,000 years of the mire accumulation (Tudyka and Pazdur 2010), the peat had preserved different types of natural and anthropogenic metal releases to the environment. The initial metal enrichment, indigenous to the mire growth, was related with the weathering processes of the nearby Zn-Pb-Fe-Ag ores.…”

“…Nowadays the groundwater table level is below the peat layer for most of the year. The mean peat accumulation rate was established to be very low (0.01 mm/year) (Tudyka and Pazdur 2010) what is related with its high degree of humification; no plant remnants were possible to identify.…”

“…Samples of a volume *36 cm 3 (3 9 3 9 6 cm) were taken every 10 cm, starting the sampling procedure from the bottom of the peat layer. The profiles were taken close (*1 m) to the profile dated by Tudyka and Pazdur (2010). Additionally a whole profile, around 10 cm in diameter, was sampled near the profiles A and B from the freshly uncovered surface, for mineral particles extraction by standard method (Wills 1985) and subsequent SEM investigation.…”

“…The peat deposit was dated by Tudyka and Pazdur (2010) in the purpose to reconstruct the time of emergence and development of early mining in the region. Their investigations showed that the peat comprise an extremely compact sediment spanning ca.…”

Early Holocene alluvia in the lower Wisłok River valley and their chronostratigraphy in the light of radiocarbon datings and palynological analysis

“…The radiocarbon dating was performed applying a liquid scintillation technique (LSC method) and using alpha/beta spectrometers: Quantulus 1220 and ICELS (Pawlyta et al, 1998;Tudyka and Pazdur, 2010;Tudyka et al, 2015). Calibration of radiocarbon dates was carried out using the computer calibration program OxCal 4.2 (Bronk Ramsey et al, 2010) based on the calibration curve IntCal13 (Reimer et al, 2013).…”