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From: lief@hpfcla.UUCP (lief)
Newsgroups: net.origins
Subject: Re: Orphaned Response
Message-ID: <14600029@hpfcrs.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 23-Jul-85 16:55:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: hpfcrs.14600029
Posted: Tue Jul 23 16:55:00 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 1-Aug-85 21:13:38 EDT
References: <386@iham1.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard - Fort Collins, CO
Lines: 30
Nf-ID: #R:iham1:386:hpfcrs:14600029:37777777600:1364
Nf-From: hpfcrs!lief    Jul 23 12:55:00 1985

>>                                                                On the
>>            other   hand,  measurements  made  at  hundreds  of  sites
>>            worldwide  [a,b]  indicate  that  the   concentration   of
>>            radiocarbon  in  the atmosphere rose quite rapidly at some
>>            time prior to 3,500  years  ago.
>
>I seem to remember it as not all that rapid, but go on...
>
>>                                              If  this  happened,  the
>>            maximum  possible  radiocarbon  age  obtainable  with  the
>>            standard techniques  (approximately  50,000  years)  could
>>            easily correspond to a TRUE age of 5,000 years.
>
>Wrong!  If there used to be more C14 in the atmosphere than there is now,
>it would make radiocarbon dates come out too *young*, not too old.  At
>least try to get the direction of the error right!
>
>Human:    Gordon Davisson
>ARPA:     gordon@uw-june.ARPA
>UUCP:     {ihnp4,decvax,tektronix}!uw-beaver!uw-june!gordon
>/* ---------- */
>
Would you please read that again, Gordon?  HE DID NOT STATE THAT THERE USED
TO BE MORE C14 IN THE ATMOSPHERE THAN THERE IS NOW!  On the contrary, he
stated that the amount of C14 in the atmosphere has increased sometime
during the last 3-4 thousand years.  You are the one in error!

Lief Sorensen
HP Fort Collins, CO
Uucp ...!hpfcla!lief