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Validating a Swedish varve chronology using radiocarbon, palaeomagnetic secular variation, lead pollution history and statistical correlation

Stanton, Tania LU ; Snowball, Ian LU ; Zillén, Lovisa LU and Wastegård, Stefan (2010) In Quaternary Geochronology 5(6). p.611-624
Abstract
We use statistical correlation of palaeomagnetic secular variation (PSV) curves from a varved Holocene

lake sediment sequence in west central Sweden (Lake Kälksjön) against those of a Fennoscandian master

stack (FENNOSTACK) to correct for an apparent error in the varve chronology. Additional correlation

between a lead pollution-derived chronology for the last 2000 years corroborates the PSV results. Use of

the FENNOSTACK palaeomagnetic master curve reveals no significant difference in duration between

large-scale features from ~2500 to ~8000 cal. yrs BP. Statistical correlation, however, implies that 270

years are missing from the younger part (<1000 cal. yrs BP) of the varve... (More)
We use statistical correlation of palaeomagnetic secular variation (PSV) curves from a varved Holocene

lake sediment sequence in west central Sweden (Lake Kälksjön) against those of a Fennoscandian master

stack (FENNOSTACK) to correct for an apparent error in the varve chronology. Additional correlation

between a lead pollution-derived chronology for the last 2000 years corroborates the PSV results. Use of

the FENNOSTACK palaeomagnetic master curve reveals no significant difference in duration between

large-scale features from ~2500 to ~8000 cal. yrs BP. Statistical correlation, however, implies that 270

years are missing from the younger part (<1000 cal. yrs BP) of the varve chronology, and that there is an overestimation by approximately 230 years in the number of varves counted in the early Holocene

(>8000 cal. yrs BP). A similar comparison between the PSV-determined ages and calibrated bulk radiocarbon ages suggests that the sediments of mid-Holocene age contain substantial amounts of old carbon, probably of soil origin, which causes bulk sediment-calibrated mean 14C ages to be up to 850 years older than the corrected varve chronology, which extends to 9193 +/- 186 cal. yrs BP. This study highlights both the use of statistical correlation as a technique for detecting errors between chronologies, and the importance of validating incremental chronologies with more than one independent method. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
lead pollution, radiocarbon dating, palaeomagnetism, varves, chronology, lake sediment, Holocene, statistical correlation
in
Quaternary Geochronology
volume
5
issue
6
pages
611 - 624
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000285173300001
  • scopus:78149500006
ISSN
1871-1014
DOI
10.1016/j.quageo.2010.03.004
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
08ca7669-b111-4438-a3a6-c0011cf36de7 (old id 1434849)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 14:49:34
date last changed
2022-01-28 02:42:24
@article{08ca7669-b111-4438-a3a6-c0011cf36de7,
  abstract     = {{We use statistical correlation of palaeomagnetic secular variation (PSV) curves from a varved Holocene<br/><br>
lake sediment sequence in west central Sweden (Lake Kälksjön) against those of a Fennoscandian master<br/><br>
stack (FENNOSTACK) to correct for an apparent error in the varve chronology. Additional correlation<br/><br>
between a lead pollution-derived chronology for the last 2000 years corroborates the PSV results. Use of<br/><br>
the FENNOSTACK palaeomagnetic master curve reveals no significant difference in duration between<br/><br>
large-scale features from ~2500 to ~8000 cal. yrs BP. Statistical correlation, however, implies that 270<br/><br>
years are missing from the younger part (&lt;1000 cal. yrs BP) of the varve chronology, and that there is an overestimation by approximately 230 years in the number of varves counted in the early Holocene<br/><br>
(&gt;8000 cal. yrs BP). A similar comparison between the PSV-determined ages and calibrated bulk radiocarbon ages suggests that the sediments of mid-Holocene age contain substantial amounts of old carbon, probably of soil origin, which causes bulk sediment-calibrated mean 14C ages to be up to 850 years older than the corrected varve chronology, which extends to 9193 +/- 186 cal. yrs BP. This study highlights both the use of statistical correlation as a technique for detecting errors between chronologies, and the importance of validating incremental chronologies with more than one independent method.}},
  author       = {{Stanton, Tania and Snowball, Ian and Zillén, Lovisa and Wastegård, Stefan}},
  issn         = {{1871-1014}},
  keywords     = {{lead pollution; radiocarbon dating; palaeomagnetism; varves; chronology; lake sediment; Holocene; statistical correlation}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{611--624}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Quaternary Geochronology}},
  title        = {{Validating a Swedish varve chronology using radiocarbon, palaeomagnetic secular variation, lead pollution history and statistical correlation}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2010.03.004}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.quageo.2010.03.004}},
  volume       = {{5}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}