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SUMMARY:CARBONUS: Status report of the 14C dating facility at the Universi
 ty of Salamanca\, Spain
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20251120T100000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20251120T101500Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260429T091441Z
UID:indico-contribution-29072@indico.ific.uv.es
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Anxo Rodríguez Álvarez (Universidad de Salamanca)\
 nThe $^{14}C$ dating facility at the University of Salamanca\, based on th
 e compact MICADAS (MIni CArbon DAting System) [1]\, has been in operation 
 for over three years. This work presents a detailed status report on the f
 acility's performance\, sample preparation methodologies\, and statistical
  validation of results. \n\nA wide variety of materials have been processe
 d\, including collagen\, corals\, wood\, charcoal and sediments. For sedim
 ents\, different pretreatment methods are commonly used for ¹⁴C dating\
 , such as acid-alkali-acid (AAA)\, acid dissolution\, and carbonate remova
 l through fumigation [2]. In our facility\, we have employed the fumigatio
 n method for sediment pretreatment\, which has been proven effective for s
 ample decontamination while preserving the integrity of the organic fracti
 on. We present results obtained at different stages of method optimization
 \, ensuring the highest accuracy and reproducibility. We describe the rigo
 rous procedures to perform this pretreatment\, including sediment homogeni
 zation to ensure consistent measurements. To ensure reliability\, we perfo
 rm three replicates of each sample\, allowing us to detect potential issue
 s such as poor homogenization\, which is particularly challenging when dat
 ing organic carbon in sediments. Statistical analysis of replicates confir
 ms high reproducibility\, with deviations well within expected uncertainti
 es\, demonstrating not only the robustness of our methodology but also the
  precision and effectiveness of its implementation in our laboratory. \n\n
 Overall\, the facility has achieved an average background value of $42560 
 \\pm 4060$ years B.P.\, reaching up to $50000$ years after ion source clea
 ning. For standard samples\, the facility has achieved average F14C values
  of $1.3407 \\pm 0.0026$ for OxII\, $0.2302 \\pm 0.0016$ for IAEA C5\, and
  $0.0031 \\pm 0.0013$ for IAEA C9. Furthermore\, we present results from t
 he GIRI intercomparison samples [3] and collagen samples of known ages hav
 e been successfully dated\, reinforcing the system's reliability. In concl
 usion\, this article provides updated technical specifications of the AMS 
 system\, details on our quality control measures and results of the optimi
 sed fumigation method in our facility. These enhancements underscore the u
 tility of this AMS facility for research in archaeology\, geology\, and cl
 imate science.\n\n**REFERENCES**\n\n[1] Hans-Arno Synal\, M. S. (2007). MI
 CADAS: A new compact radiocarbon AMS system. Nuclear Instruments and Metho
 ds in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Ato
 ms\, 259(1)\, 7-13.\n\n[2] Komada\, T.\, Anderson\, M. R.\, & Dorfmeier\, 
 C. L. (2008). Carbonate removal from coastal sediments for the determinati
 on of organic carbon and its isotopic signatures\, δ13C and Δ14C: compar
 ison of fumigation and direct acidification methods. Limnology and Oceanog
 raphy: Methods\, 6(6)\, 254-262.\n\n[3] Scott EM\, Naysmith P\, Dunbar E. 
 Preliminary results from Glasgow International Radiocarbon Intercomparison
 . Radiocarbon. 2024\;66(5):1302-1309. doi:10.1017/RDC.2023.64\n\nhttps://i
 ndico.ific.uv.es/event/8035/contributions/29072/
LOCATION:
URL:https://indico.ific.uv.es/event/8035/contributions/29072/
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