IDENTIFICATION AND AMS RADIOCARBON DATING OF CHARCOAL FROM THE NORTH CREEK SHELTER, SITE 42GA5863, IN THE ESCALANTE VALLEY, UTAH

Summary

Charcoal samples were examined from on-going excavations at the North Creek

Shelter, site 42GA5863, in the Escalante Valley of south-central Utah. These samples were

submitted for identification prior to radiocarbon analysis to select the best material to send for

dating. The identification of specific material to be dated is particularly advantageous and

allows the researcher to know precisely what material is submitted for radiocarbon dating.

More accurate ages can be obtained by submitting only specific types of charcoal or other

charred plant material for dating. It is preferential to date a local species rather than a foreign

one, to date a single species rather than a mixture of several types, and to date the plant type

with the shortest life span, such as dating charcoal from a shorter-lived shrub rather than a

longer-lived tree. The majority of the charcoal samples selected for radiocarbon dating were

submitted to Beta Analytic, Inc. (Beta Analytic). For three of the samples, single pieces of

charcoal were selected and broken in half. One-half was sent to Beta Analytic for dating, and

one-half was processed at Paleo Research Institute (PRI) for AMS radiocarbon dating.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• PaleoResearch Institute

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