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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 6 page paper which compares some dating techniques that are used in determining the chronology of artifacts (tephrochronology and thermoluminescence) to determine their accuracy, expected precision, and how an attempt to directly date the artifacts of the features in question could be attempted. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: TG15_TGanthrodat.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
what chronology is attempted to be determined. As anthropologists and archaeologists alike have discovered, dating is hardly an exact science, and though several can be used, precision can vary,
which means so too can results. Indirect dating is often used in determining human settlement information because it ascertains the age associated with artifacts through environmental and ecological data
in order to approximate age. Direct dating, which as the name implies involves direct analysis of the artifact itself, is being used with increasing frequency despite extremely varied results.
There are many different types of dating methods, which include dendrochronology, radiocarbon, stratigraphy, tephrochronology, and thermoluminescence. Lowe et al (2000) evaluated the use of tephrochronology to date New Zealands
earliest Polynesian settlement date, which anthropologists believe to be "the last major landmass to be settled by humans" (p. 265). They determined that concentrating on layers of tephra (volcanic
rock fragments) from five North Island eruptions was extremely valuable and provided scientists with a higher degree of accuracy than lone radiocarbon dating had achieved previously (Lowe et al, 2000).
This enabled them to date human settlement to approximately 1400 A.D. and earlier, which placed the earlier radiocarbon dating conclusions into serious question. Therefore, the tephra was assessed
to be a reliable marker for further testing of the New Zealand coast, although Lowe et al (2000) were quick to add that, "Obtaining more precise calendrical dates on the
relevant tephras, especially Kaharoa Tephra, either by dendrochronology or from ice-core records... or other dating techniques, would help to refine assessment of the timing of the earliest settlement or impact"
(p. 866). There were some geoscientists in Australia, led by Richard G. Roberts, that decided to utilize another dating method known as thermoluminescence or TL, which led them to approximate
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