Carbon Dating Analysis of Manuscripts Kept in the Central Library of the University of Tehran

Objective: This paper will present and analyzes the results of the carbon dating campaign carried out in the project “Irankoran” at the Central Library of the University of Tehran (hereafter, CLUT). During the last years, the project “Corpus Coranicum” has undertaken systematic approaches for dating (mostly Qur’anic) manuscripts by the analysis of carbon dating with its focus on the first millennium. Manuscripts presented here consist of one quiet old fragment of the Qur'ān on parchment dated before the year 1000 CE and a selection of precious and diverse manuscripts from Iranian and Islamic heritage, including the Arabic dictionary Muǧmal al-Luġah, the medical Encyclopaedia Ḏaḫīra-ye Khwārazmšāhī, the poetry Panǧ Ganǧ of Neẓāmī, Ādāb al-Falāsifah attributed to Syriac scholar Ḥunayn b. Isḥāq (d. 873 CE), and one of the oldest versions of the Avesta Wīdēwdād. Methods: Since the dates of these documents have been the subject of discussions and disputes among philologists and scholars, the results of the carbon dating analysis presented here can help us enhance our understanding of the history of these manuscripts. Results: The results of the carbon dating of the selected objects clearly show that, with the exception of the Ādāb al-Falāsifah, the authenticity of its date had been already doubted by the specialists of the field manuscript studies, the colophons of other manuscripts, even in cases where they were suspected of being tampered with, present most likely the accurate original dates of the corresponding manuscripts. Conclusions: Thus, the current carbon dating results offer perspectives on documents mainly from the second millennium

The subaqueous landslide cycle in south-central Chilean lakes: the role of tephra, slope gradient and repeated seismic shaking

Subaqueous landslides are common features at active and passive ocean margins, in fjords and lakes. They can develop on very gentle slope gradients (<2) and the presence of sandy tephra layers seems to facilitate the development of translational failure. Despite numerous investigations, it remains elusive how different slope preconditioning factors act and interact over time and how different triggering mechanisms can lead to slope failure. In settings of low to moderate seismicity, stratigraphic sequences with sublacustrine mass-transport deposits (MTDs) have successfully been used for constructing prehistorical earthquake catalogs. In high seismicity areas, it is inferred that not all strong earthquakes succeed in triggering landslides on the investigated slope segments, and MTD records do not fully represent their complete recurrence pattern. Here, we present the spatio-temporal distribution of MTDs in two large glacigenic Chilean lakes (Villarrica and Calafquén) based on a detailed seismic-stratigraphic analysis and several radiocarbon-dated piston cores (up to 14m long). We find a strong influence of slope gradient on the occurrence and volume of landslide events; i.e. most (small) landslides take place on slopes of 5-20, whereas the few large (potentially tsunamigenic) landslides exclusively occur on slopes of <4. Liquefaction of sandy tephra layers facilitates the development of thin (<0.5m) in-situ deformations during earthquake shaking. When sandy tephra layers get progressively buried, liquefaction becomes unlikely, but repeated excess pore pressure transfer to overlying units facilitates the development of translational sliding. The occurrence of voluminous landslides seems to follow a “landslide cycle” which starts with the deposition of a tephra layer and the development of in-situ deformations directly on top. Once the slope sequence reaches a critical thickness, the end of the cycle is indicated by incipient scarp development, and subsequent major sliding event(s). The duration of the landslide cycle is defined by the rate of gradual sedimentation, but may be affected by sudden geological events (e.g., volcanic eruptions), expediting the end of the cycle. Despite the many methodological challenges inherent to the construction of a MTD stratigraphy, we propose that well-dated multiple MTD events can be used as positive evidence to strengthen and specify the regional paleoseismic record, concerning the largest events in a high-seismicity region. This method is most successful when targeting the base of relatively steep slopes (5-20) with frequent, minor landsliding, and complementing this with seismic-stratigraphic analysis of fluid-escape features and correlation with distal turbidite records.(VLID)3242017Submitted versio

Radiocarbon Dating the Holocene in the Gościąż Lake Floating Varve Chronology

Terrestrial macrofossils selected from laminated sediment of Lake Gościąż were dated by AMS. Thus, part of the floating varve chronology (FVC) (Goślar et al. 1993) between radiocarbon ages of 4225 +/45 and 7740 +/85 BP can be compared and placed on the 14C calibration curve. As a result of our dating, the top of the FVC is now dated between 3120 and 3300 cal BF, i.e., 3210 +/90 cal BP.This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries.The Radiocarbon archives are made available by Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform February 202

Problems in the Extension of the Radiocarbon Calibration Curve (10-13 Kyr BP)

Radiocarbon dating of varved lake sediments shows that, during the Late Glacial (10-12 kyr BP), the offset between the 14C and the absolute time scales was ca. 1 kyr. Varve counting and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating were used to build absolute and 14C time scales of sediments from two lakes-—Soppensee, Switzerland and Holzmaar, Germany. The resulting chronologies extend back to ca. 12.9 kyr cal BP (12.1 kyr BP) in the case of Soppensee and to ca. 13.8 kyr cal BP (12.6 kyr BP) in the Holzmaar record. They compare well with each other but differ significantly from the 14C-U/Th chronology of corals (Bard et al.1993; Edwards et al.1993).This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries.The Radiocarbon archives are made available by Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform February 202

Age determination using benthic and planktonic foraminifera of central Pacific Ocean sediment cores

A key constraint in attempts to reconstruct the patterns and rates of the ocean's thermohaline circulation during the last glacial period is the difference between the 14C to C ratio in surface and deep water. While imperfect, it is our best index of past deep-sea ventilation rates. In this paper we review published ventilation rate estimates based on the measured radiocarbon age difference between coexisting benthic and planktic foraminifera from glacial-age Pacific sediments. We also present new results from a series of eastern equatorial Pacific sediment cores. The conclusion is that the scatter in these results is so large that the apparent 14C age of glacial deep Pacific water could lie anywhere between double and half today's. Further, it is not clear what is responsible for the wide scatter in the radiocarbon results

14C Dating of mortar from ruins of an early medieval church hohenrätien GR, Switzerland

Numerous ruins around the world lack the radiometric dating due to the scarcity of organic carbon. Here, we present results of radiocarbon dating of mortar samples from an early Medieval church Hohenrätien GR, Switzerland, which was dated to the early 6th century, based on typology. The method of dating mortars, which is currently applied at the ETH laboratory, involves sieving the crushed mortar, selection of grain size 45−63 μm and sequential dissolution resulting in four fractions of CO2 collected in a 3-second interval each. Two mortar samples, which were analyzed using sequential dissolution and one by dating a bulk of lime lump, resulted in a combined radiocarbon age of 1551±21 BP translating to the calendar age of 427−559 AD.ISSN:1733-8387ISSN:1897-169

The Effect of Tillage on Soil Organic Matter Using 14C: A Case Study

We compared four adjacent soil plots in an effort to determine the effect of land use on soil carbon storage. The plots were located at the High Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory near Sidney, Nebraska. We measured 14C, total carbon, total nitrogen and 137Ce to determine the size and turnover times of rapid and stable soil organic matter (SOM) pools, and their relation to land-use practices. Results were consistent with the model produced by Harrison, Broecker and Bonani (1993a) in that the 14C surface soil data fell on the time trend plots of world 14C surface soil data, indicating that the natural sod and non-tilled plots had a rapidly turning over SOM pool, comprising ca. 75% of surface soil carbon, and the tilled plots had a rapidly turning over SOM pool, comprising only 50% of surface soil carbon.This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries.The Radiocarbon archives are made available by Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform February 202