Abstract
Much attention has focused recently on the lateglacial period in north-west Europe, especially on the problems of climatic subdivision and chronostratigraphic definition1–3. Correlation and classification of lateglacial stratigraphy relies heavily on radiocarbon dating, but because the lateglacial represents a relatively short interval of geological time (14,000–10,000 yr BP) with comparatively slow rates of sedimentation, the stratigraphic resolution achieved in radiocarbon dating may be questioned—a 5-cm thick sample may represent an age span significantly greater than the analytical uncertainty (± 1σ) associated with the radiocarbon measurement. Results are presented here for a radiocarbon-dated pollen stratigraphy based on sediments from Llyn Gwernan, a small freshwater lake situated on the northern flank of Calder Idris, 3km south-west of Dolgellau, North Wales (grid ref. SH 703 159) where a remarkable thickness of lateglacial organic deposits preserves a detailed biostratigraphic record and permits a greater resolution of the lateglacial 14C time scale than is usual. The data are summarized in Fig. 1 and comparisons are made within the framework of previously published dates for Wales in Fig. 2.
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Lowe, S. Radiocarbon dating and stratigraphic resolution in Welsh lateglacial chronology. Nature 293, 210–212 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/293210a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/293210a0
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