Radiocarbon Activity Variation in Dated Tree Rings Grown in Mackenzie Delta

Abstract

Forty-five tree rings (1881–1925) were taken from a white spruce grown near Campbell River in Mackenzie Delta, Canada, for the measurement of 14C activity variation. Because of the narrowness of the rings, 2 and sometimes 3 rings were combined to yield a total of 21 specimens. The 14C content in these specimens was measured with a liquid scintillation-PM tube counter system of the History Department of Peking University. The data points exhibit a 10‰ variation, anti-correlated with sunspot numbers. The physical implication is discussed.