Radiocarbon Dating of Buried Trees and Climate Change in West-Central Oklahoma

Eleven radiocarbon dates and tree-ring analyses of 3 juniper logs demonstrate the potential for ¹⁴C analysis of buried logs in the American Midwest. Three junipers (cf. Juniperus virginiana) were recovered from 9.20, 10.50, and 10.60 m in the fill of Carnegie Canyon, west-central Oklahoma. Their ¹⁴C ages are calibrated between 3300 and 2800 yr ago. A negative correlation of tree rings and DELTA¹⁴C (p = 0.013) supports the findings of Schmidt and Gruhle (1988), who demonstrate the association of global cooling with reduced solar activity.

[Radiocarbon Volume 37, Number 2, 1995]