Terminology

NZAA site number

A unique New Zealand Archaeological Association site record number for each archaeological site. More information can be found on the NZ Archaeological Association's website.

Laboratory ID

A prefix plus laboratory number for each dated sample. The prefix identifies the measuring laboratory.

Material

The type of material dated (e.g., wood, charcoal, bone, shell). Includes a description of taxa if available.

CRA and error

The conventional radiocarbon age and error. This is expressed as years BP (i.e., before present where present is AD 1950) calculated according to the conventions given by Stuiver and Polach (1977). This value needs to be calibrated to produce a calendar age.

δ¹³C

The δ¹³C value is used to correct radiocarbon dates for any fractionation caused by processing. The value is expressed in parts per thousand (‰). The δ¹³C is measured and included in the CRA calculation. This value is no longer routinely reported with the CRA for AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) dates, and some values listed in the ANZRD may be environmental isotopes (see below).

Environmental isotopes

δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C, and or δ¹⁵N values provide information about the environment and diet of the animal.

Calendar age

Radiocarbon ages given in the Online Viewer are uncalibrated. Conversion of the CRA to a calendar date can be done using the most recent calibration datasets (i.e., Hogg et al. 2020; Heaton et al. 2020). A static ΔR of -154 ± 38 ¹⁴C years is the current recommended value to correct for regional marine variation (Petchey 2020). More information on calibration and the reporting of radiocarbon dates can be found on the Radiocarbon Calibration website.

Reference

Reference to published archaeological data, site reports, theses, and HNZPT reports associated with the radiocarbon age. These should be consulted to place the sample dated in context.

IRMS

Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry. Measured on CO₂.

CIA

Carbon Isotope Analyser. Measured on CO₂.

AMS

Accelerator Mass Spectrometry. Here used in the δ¹³C field to indicate where δ¹³C has been measured by AMS and not reported.

ΔR

A regional difference from the average global marine calibration curve is designated ΔR (Stuiver et al. 1986). ΔR is assumed to be a constant for a given region and is calculated from the difference in ¹⁴C years of known age marine samples and the marine model age for that calendar age. Regional ΔR for the modern ocean can be found on the calib.org website.

Terms applied to different fractions of bone isolated during the last 70 years for radiocarbon dating.  See Petchey (1999) for more information.

NZAA

The New Zealand Archaeological Association is a national organisation for those interested in archaeology and heritage.

Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga advocates for the protection of ancestral sites and heritage buildings. To access the HNZPT Digital Library click here.

The NZAA ArchSite provides point locations and field record forms for NZ archaeological sites.

Wk-

Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, University of Waikato, Hamilton, NZ

S-

National Museums of Canada Saskatchewan Research Council 14C laboratory.

UCI-

Keck-CCAMS Group, Irvine, California, USA.

Y-

Yale University Radiocarbon Radiocarbon Laboratory, USA.

NZ-, NZA-

National Isotope Centre (previously Rafter Radiocarbon Laboratory), Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, Lower Hutt, NZ

ANU-, SANU-

Radiocarbon Laboratory, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

OxA-

Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, University of Oxford, UK

Beta-

Beta Analytic Inc, Miami, Florida, USA

AA-

NSF-Arizona AMS Facility, University of Arizona, USA

SUA-

Radiocarbon Laboratory, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

ANSTO-, Oz-

ANTARES AMS Facility, Menai, Australia

D-AMS-

DirectAMS, Washington, USA

Gak-

Radiocarbon Laboratory, Gakushuin University, Tokyo, Japan