Marine and estuarine reservoir effects in central Queensland, Australia: Determination of ΔR values

As a component of archaeological investigations on the central Queensland coast, a series of five marine shell specimens live‐collected between A.D. 1904 and A.D. 1929 and 11 shell/charcoal paired samples from archaeological contexts were radiocarbon dated to determine local ΔR values. The object of the study was to assess the potential influence of localized variation in marine reservoir effect in accurately determining the age of marine and estuarine shell from archaeological deposits in the area. Results indicate that the routinely applied ΔR value of −5 ± 35 for northeast Australia is erroneously calculated. The determined values suggest a minor revision to Reimer and Reimer's (2000) recommended value for northeast Australia from ΔR = +11 ± 5 to +12 ± 7, and specifically for central Queensland to ΔR = +10 ± 7, for near‐shore open marine environments. In contrast, data obtained from estuarine shell/charcoal pairs demonstrate a general lack of consistency, suggesting estuary‐specific patterns of variation in terrestrial carbon input and exchange with the open ocean. Preliminary data indicate that in some estuaries, at some time periods, a ΔR value of more than −155 ± 55 may be appropriate. In estuarine contexts in central Queensland, a localized estuary‐specific correction factor is recommended to account for geographical and temporal variation in 14C activity. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.