| Abstract: | It has been suggested that utilization of the bristlecone pine calibration for 14C age correction can result in dates which are up to several hundred years too early in comparison with archaeological evidence. Among other possible causes in situ production of 14C due to the high altitude growth region of the bristlecone pine has been proposed to explain this effect. Although theoretical evaluation indicates that a significant amount of 14C could be produced by this mechanism, irradiation of bristlecone pine wood with a neutron dose equivalent to the calculated cosmic ray maximum received by a 6000-year-old tree did not produce any detectable effect. Other geochemical considerations related to the growth environment of these trees may offer a possible explanation for enhanced 14C levels. These inherent uncertainties in the 14C record of the bristlecone pine emphasize the need for an alternative source of tree-rings for comparative correlation with the 14C time-scale. |
