Elsevier, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, (294), p. 81-86
DOI: 10.1016/j.nimb.2012.06.020
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We present the improved performance of the modified in situ cosmogenic 14C extraction system at ETH Zürich. Samples are now processed faster (2 days in total) and are measured with a high analytical precision of usually <2% using the gas ion source of the MICADAS AMS facility. Measurements of the PP-4 standard sample show a good reproducibility and consistency with published values. Procedural blanks are very low at currently ∼4.0 × 10414C atoms. Analyses of samples from a ∼300 year old rock avalanche prove that we can successfully apply in situ14C exposure dating to very young surfaces. Additionally, we present a modified calculation scheme for in situ14C concentrations which differs from that used for conventional radiocarbon dating. This new approach explicitly accounts for the characteristics of in situ14C production.