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Radiocarbon dating minute amounts of bone (3-60 mg) with ECHoMICADAS.

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Radiocarbon dating of small bone samples is now possible using the MIni CArbon DAting System (MICADAS). This new method enables precise dating of archaeological remains previously too small for analysis.

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Area of Science:

  • Archaeological Science
  • Radiocarbon Dating
  • Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction

Background:

  • Hard tissues like bone are crucial for establishing archaeological chronologies and understanding past environments.
  • Conventional accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating requires significant bone mass (60-200 mg), limiting its application to small or valuable remains.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate a method for radiocarbon dating minute bone samples (3-60 mg).
  • To enable the dating of small vertebrates and patrimonial bone artifacts using accelerator mass spectrometry.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the MIni CArbon DAting System (MICADAS) for radiocarbon dating.
  • Optimized a protocol to extract sufficient carbon (0.2-1.0 mg) from small bone samples for graphite targets.
  • Validated the method on known-age samples up to 40,000 years Before Present (BP).

Main Results:

  • Successfully obtained the first radiocarbon dates from minute bone samples (3-60 mg).
  • Demonstrated proof of concept on samples dating back to 40,000 BP.
  • Applied the method to archaeological sites, yielding reliable dates from single small mammal bones.

Conclusions:

  • The developed protocol allows for routine radiocarbon dating of small or key bone samples.
  • This advancement expands the scope of radiocarbon dating in archaeology and paleoenvironmental studies.
  • Facilitates the study of small vertebrate remains and valuable artifacts previously undatable.