Effect of dead carbon on the14C dating of the speleothem
Effect of dead carbon on the ^14C dating of the speleothem

Based on the comparison of dating results among high-precision TIMS U-series and AMS 14C as well as the published 14C dating results and their band counting ages (i.e. calendar ages), this paper discusses the effect of dead carbon on the speleothem 14C dating. The result shows that the fraction of incorporated dead carbon during the forma- tion of speleothem varies. The change in the fraction of dead carbon would result in big deviation in the 14C age of the speleothem. It is indispensable to take the dead carbon into consideration when dating the speleothem using the 14C method or studying the atmospheric 14C concentration dur- ing the past with the speleothem.