Caesium Isotope Dating
In conjunction with the Geosciences Advisory Unit at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton we are able to offer this technique for precisely dating very recent sediments. This is particularly applicable in dating sediment accumulation rates for geohazard analysis in subsea engineering projects.
Application
Most suitable for dating undisturbed sediments less that about 60 years old.
Cost and turnaround time
Please contact us for more information.
Technical Information
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Method Beginning in about 1952, large-scale nuclear weapons testing released detectable amounts of 137Cs to the atmosphere. Concentrations of 137Cs peaked between 1963 and 1964 as a result of the atmospheric nuclear explosions and later by the 1986 Chernobyl accident. These events can be identified in sediments where they form distinctive time stratigraphic marker horizons. The diagram below illustrates an age depth curve based on 137Cs and shows the nuclear weapons fallout peaks in the 1960s and the much smaller Chernobyl peak in 1986. |
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