U. S. Geological Survey Radiocarbon Dates VI

Abstract

Dates in this list have been determined at U. S. Geological Survey radiocarbon laboratory, Washington, since our 1960 date list (USGS V). Procedures for the preparation of acetylene gas used in the counting, and the method of counting, (two days in two separate counters) remain unchanged. However, the modern standard used is no longer wood grown in the 19th century, but 95% of the activity of NBS oxalic-acid radiocarbon standard, as recommended at the 1959 Groningen Radiocarbon Conference. Measurement of the oxalic-acid standard at our laboratory indicates 6.2 ± 1% more C14 activity than our modern wood standard; so use of the new standard should make no appreciable difference when comparing samples computed by the old method. W. F. Libby's (1955) half-life average for C14, 5568 ± 30 years, was used for the decay equation.