Frequency distribution of ¹⁴C ages for chronostratigraphic reconstructions: Alaska region study case

In this study, we test the possibility of using databases of radiocarbon ages to estimate boundaries of climatic chronozones. The Alaska region was chosen and compared with chronozones of 2 European countries: Poland and the Netherlands. The study included setting up a database of ¹⁴C ages published for climatic records from Alaska. Some 974 ¹⁴C determinations on organic samples were selected and used to establish chronozones for the Late Glacial and the Holocene for the Alaska region. The selected data were calibrated and a summed probability density function (PDF) was calculated. The shape analysis of the constructed frequency distribution of ¹⁴C dates on calendar timescales together with the assumption about preferential sampling seems to be a useful tool for establishing calendar ages for boundaries of climatic periods, i.e. chronozones.