Premium
URANIUM VARIATIONS IN A DATED FOSSIL BONE SERIES FROM OLDUVAI GORGE, TANZANIA
Author(s) -
SEITZ M. G.,
TAYLOR R. E.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
archaeometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1475-4754
pISSN - 0003-813X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-4754.1974.tb00101.x
Subject(s) - uranium , olduvai gorge , geology , absolute dating , uranium ore , mineralogy , paleontology , geochemistry , archaeology , quaternary , geography , materials science , metallurgy
Of twelve elements analyzed in a series of bovid teeth from the Olduvai Gorge, uranium is the only element which varies appreciably with the ages of the samples. Uranium concentrations increase at first, then decrease with increasing age, and therefore cannot be used by themselves to obtain absolute or even relative ages of the samples. A model accounting for the behaviour of uranium is proposed in which uranium is absorbed in the samples during the decay of organic material and is lost after this decay ceases. If one accounts for uranium losses, the concentrations of uranium and its decay products may be used to accurately date skeletal material from the Olduvai gorge.