14C AMS dating of fires in the central Amazon rain forest

SANTOS; CORDEIRO; ANJOS; GOMES; TURCQ; SIFEDDINE; CRESSWELL R.; FIFIELD K.; DI TADA M,

NUCLEAR INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS IN PHYSICS RESEARCH B - BEAM INTERACTIONS WITH MATERIALS AND ATOMS

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2000 vol. 172 p. 761 - 766

0168-583X

Soil samples were collected in tierra firme upland and lowland areas of the Km 41 reserve near Manaus (20°300S and60°W), in Central Brazilian Amazon, within a 1700 m transect, at eight di?erent depth ranges, from surface to 100 cm.The highest charcoal concentrations were found at the depth range of 20±50 cm. AMS radiocarbon dating of 31samples were performed at the ANU. The ages of the charcoals were found to vary within the 130 to 2400 years BPrange, mostly between 1200 and 1400 years BP, one of the known Holocene dry periods of the Amazon region. Theresults show that the fires have regional dimensions and are associated with climate regional changes.