Advanced AMS 14C Dating of Contaminated Bones Associated with North American Clovis and Pre-Clovis Butchering Sites

Summary

When humans first colonized the Americas is becoming better understood by the addition of aDNA studies; however, the absolute dating of these late Pleistocene sites is crucial and depends upon accurate 14C dating of the fossils (i.e. bones, teeth and ivory). We re-dated vertebrate fossils associated with the North American butchering sites Wally’s Beach (Canada), La Prele, also known as Fetterman (Wyoming), Lindsay (Montana) and Dent (Colorado). Our work demonstrates the crucial importance of sample preparation to completely remove contaminants derived from sediments or post-excavation museum curation. Specifically, our work illustrates that chromatographic methods, e.g. preparative High Performance Liquid Chromatography or column chromatography using XAD resins are the only efficient methods for removing geological and museum-derived contaminants. These advanced methods yield unquestionably accurate AMS 14C measurements that refine the ages of these sites and thereby advance our understanding of human population dispersals across North America during the late Pleistocene. We will present the new dating evidence and compare the results with previous determinations made using less refined techniques.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 18784