guy Posted April 29, 2022 Report Share Posted April 29, 2022 (edited) This is an interesting article about the new isotope-based technique to measure the age of antique wood. Previously, dating the wood was based on the rings of the tree (known as dendrochronology). (See example above.) Quote Dendrochronology [ring dating] does not always work well in regions such as the UK and north-western Europe where the climate is mild and rarely limits tree growth. This makes dating challenging and reduces the confidence with which we can use tree-ring width measurements to study the climate of the past. The key innovation is that the team will be analysing the chemistry of the wood rather than just the width of the rings. They will be examining the stable (non-radioactive) isotopes of the fundamental elements: carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. A tree ring carefully dissected prior to chemical analysis. Credit: UK Oak Project Quote Crucially, unlike ring width, these isotope signals are just as reliable in trees from areas where growth is not strongly limited by climate. The project will also apply these methods to address long-standing archaeological questions of climate and chronology worldwide. Summary: This new dating technique will be helpful to date older wood samples in Britain. https://www.swansea.ac.uk/press-office/news-events/news/2022/04/ancient-oak-trees-to-shed-light-on-the-climate-of-the-past-4500-years.php Edited April 29, 2022 by guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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