IDENTIFYING THE 993-994 CE MIYAKE EVENT IN THE OLDEST DATED LIVING TREE IN EUROPE

Combined dendrochronology and accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon (AMS C-14) dating analyses were used in order to date an old living tree named Italus, growing in the Pollino massif in Southern Italy. Wiggle match AMS C-14 dating analysis was performed on a 320-yr-long floating chronology obtained by cross-dating four wood cores extracted from the exposed roots of the tree. Following this approach, an age for the tree of approximate to 1230 yr was estimated. This age makes Italus the oldest living tree in Europe. High-resolution C-14 dating analyses performed on single rings extracted from the tree stem allowed us to identify the 993-994 CE large excursion in atmospheric C-14 concentration (Miyake event) revealing for the first time its presence in the Mediterranean basin.