TY - CHAP

T1 - 8. Uranium-series dating of peat from central and Northern Europe

AU - Frechen, Manfred

AU - Sierralta, Melanie

AU - Oezen, Deniz

AU - Urban, Brigitte

N1 - Literaturverz. S. 115 - 117

PY - 2007

Y1 - 2007

N2 - Interstadial and interglacial peat layers are widespread in the Northern Hemisphere and enable us to reconstruct the vegetation history. Uranium-series dating methods can provide a reliable and precise chronological frame for peat of the past 500000 years. Uranium-series dating methods are based on the radioactive disequilibrium between 238U and its radioactive daughter elements and the re-establishment of equilibrium. The activity ratio [ 230Th/ 234U] is a measure of the time elapsed since the formation of the peat. In this study, uranium-series dating of peat in Central and Northern Europe is reviewed including new thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (TIMS) 230Th/U dating results from recently investigated interglacial peat horizons in Central Europe. The suitability of the peat layers for dating depends on two essential assumptions: a closed-system behaviour excluding uranium migration after deposition and the contamination of peat by varying amounts of detrital thorium, which has to be corrected owing to its essential effect on calculating 230Th/U ages. The radiometric and TIMS dating results are in good agreement for certain fen peat layers correlating with MIS 3 and 5, as confirmed by independent age control through radiocarbon and luminescence dating methods. There are only a few approaches dating pre-Eemian peat. Although the radiometric and TIMS dating results are less distinct, more reliable and precise absolute ages can be provided.

AB - Interstadial and interglacial peat layers are widespread in the Northern Hemisphere and enable us to reconstruct the vegetation history. Uranium-series dating methods can provide a reliable and precise chronological frame for peat of the past 500000 years. Uranium-series dating methods are based on the radioactive disequilibrium between 238U and its radioactive daughter elements and the re-establishment of equilibrium. The activity ratio [ 230Th/ 234U] is a measure of the time elapsed since the formation of the peat. In this study, uranium-series dating of peat in Central and Northern Europe is reviewed including new thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (TIMS) 230Th/U dating results from recently investigated interglacial peat horizons in Central Europe. The suitability of the peat layers for dating depends on two essential assumptions: a closed-system behaviour excluding uranium migration after deposition and the contamination of peat by varying amounts of detrital thorium, which has to be corrected owing to its essential effect on calculating 230Th/U ages. The radiometric and TIMS dating results are in good agreement for certain fen peat layers correlating with MIS 3 and 5, as confirmed by independent age control through radiocarbon and luminescence dating methods. There are only a few approaches dating pre-Eemian peat. Although the radiometric and TIMS dating results are less distinct, more reliable and precise absolute ages can be provided.

KW - Environmental planning

KW - Europe

KW - palaeoclimate

KW - peat

KW - Pleistocene

KW - uranium-series dating

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77956765377&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/s1571-0866(07)80033-9

DO - 10.1016/s1571-0866(07)80033-9

M3 - Contributions to collected editions/anthologies

SN - 9780444529558

SN - 0444529551

T3 - Developments in Quaternary Science

SP - 93

EP - 117

BT - The climate of past interglacials

A2 - Sirocko, Frank

A2 - Claussen, Martin

A2 - Litt, Thomas

A2 - Sanchez-Goni, Maria Fernanda

PB - Elsevier Scientific Publishing

CY - Amsterdam [u.a.]

ER -