Radiocarbon dating small carbonate samples with the gas ion source of AixMICADAS

Since the beginning of AMS, 14C analyses in foraminifera have been widely used to date deep-sea cores and to estimate reservoir ages of surface and deep ocean layers. Classical AMS requires acid hydrolysis of carbonate samples followed by graphitization of solid targets. For dating very small carbonate samples, an alternative route is to bypass the graphitization step by means of a CO2 gas ion source coupled to a carbonate hydrolysis system. We...