CALCULATING ISOTOPE RATIOS AND NUCLIDE CONCENTRATIONS FOR IN SITU COSMOGENIC 14C ANALYSES

In situ radiocarbon inorganic production and retention pathways are distinct from those of the more commonly used traditional organic/atmospheric C-14. In addition, a growing number of laboratories are extracting in situ cosmogenic C-14 from quartz, using a variety of analytical techniques. As such, a flexible yet internally consistent set of procedures for data reduction that recognizes the unique nature of the in situ C-14 system is essential for reliable comparison of results among laboratories. This article thus presents a brief data reduction framework that can accommodate differences in both AMS and laboratory analytical techniques.