Apparent 14C ages of the ‘pre-bomb’ shells and correction values (R, ΔR) for Caspian and Aral Seas (Central Asia)

Abstract

Pre-AD 1955 mollusc shell samples for the Caspian and Aral Seas were obtained from collections of the Paleontological Institute (Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow) and Zoological Institute (Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg). They were collected at the end of nineteenth century and in the 1930–1950s. For the Caspian Sea, mean apparent 14C age of shells (R) is ca. 410 yrs and ΔR is about +5 yrs. For Aral Sea, the first study of apparent 14C age of ‘pre-bomb’ molluscs shows the R value as ca. 170 yrs and ΔR value is ca. −130 yrs. These values may be used to correct 14C data previously obtained from this region and should be used for the future research.