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Carbon‐14 wiggle‐match dating of peat deposits: advantages and limitations
Author(s) -
Blaauw Maarten,
Van Geel Bas,
Mauquoy Dmitri,
Van Der Plicht Johannes
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of quaternary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.142
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-1417
pISSN - 0267-8179
DOI - 10.1002/jqs.810
Subject(s) - peat , holocene , geology , calibration , calibration curve , series (stratigraphy) , physical geography , matching (statistics) , radiocarbon dating , carbon fibers , paleontology , geodesy , climatology , archaeology , statistics , computer science , geography , mathematics , algorithm , composite number , detection limit
Abstract Carbon‐14 wiggle‐match dating (WMD) of peat deposits uses the non‐linear relationship between 14 C age and calendar age to match the shape of a series of closely spaced peat 14 C dates with the 14 C calibration curve. The method of WMD is discussed, and its advantages and limitations are compared with calibration of individual dates. A numerical approach to WMD is introduced that makes it possible to assess the precision of WMD chronologies. During several intervals of the Holocene, the 14 C calibration curve shows less pronounced fluctuations. We assess whether wiggle‐matching is also a feasible strategy for these parts of the 14 C calibration curve. High‐precision chronologies, such as obtainable with WMD, are needed for studies of rapid climate changes and their possible causes during the Holocene. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.