Uranium series ages of the Del Mar Man and Sunnyvale skeletons

Journal Article · Sun Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1982 · Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.217.4561.756· OSTI ID:6857792

Bischoff, J L; Rosenbauer, R J

Bischoff and Rosenbauer claim that their uranium series ages for the Del Marman and Sunnyvale skeletons indicate that the previously published aspartic acid racemization ages of these two skeletons are too old. They state that the concordancy of their /sup 230/Th and /sup 231/Pa ages supports the uranium series ages for the bone samples. Uranium series ages, however, are based on the critical assumption that bones incorporate uranium for only a relatively short time after their burial and have subsequently remained closed systems with respect to migration of both uranium and its daughter isotopes /sup 230/Th and /sup 231/Pa. We maintain that the assumption of rapid uranium incorporation followed by closed system behavior is tenuous and that /sup 230/Th-/sup 231/Pa concordancy is a necessary but not sufficient condition to establish this behavior and thus the accuracy of the dates.

• Research Organization: US Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA
• OSTI ID: 6857792
• Journal Information: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Journal Name: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States) Vol. 217; ISSN SCIEA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550101* -- Behavioral Biology-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ACCURACY
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
AGE ESTIMATION
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SPECIMENS
BODY
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPE DATING
ISOTOPE RATIO
ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANS
PROTACTINIUM 231
PROTACTINIUM ISOTOPES
RADIOISOTOPES
SKELETON
THORIUM 230
THORIUM ISOTOPES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES