Anomalous AMS Radiocarbon Ages for Foraminifera from High-Deposition-Rate Ocean Sediments

Abstract

Radiocarbon ages on handpicked foraminifera from deep-sea cores are revealing that areas of rapid sediment accumulation are in some cases subject to hiatuses, reworking and perhaps secondary calcite deposition. We present here an extreme example of the impacts of such disturbances. The message is that if precise chronologies or meaningful benthic planktic age differences are to be obtained, then it is essential to document the reliability of radiocarbon ages by making both comparisons between coexisting species of planktonic foraminifera and detailed down-core sequences of measurements.