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Canada / NL / EkBc-? (Red Bay) / GSC-3285
- Lab number
- GSC-3285
- Material dated
- whale bone collagen; collagène osseux de baleine
- Taxa dated
- probably Balaenidae, mid-thoracic rib (id. by S.L. Cumbaa)
- Locality
- 42 m north of the northeast corner of Saddle Island in the harbour at Red Bay, Labrador
- Map sheet
- 12 P/09
- Submitter
- R.J. Ringer
- Date submitted
- March 10, 0098
- Measured Age
- 0
- Normalized Age
- 0
- δ13C (per mil)
- -22.4
- Significance
- Basque
- Stratigraphic component
- Tracey Beach
- Context
- Tracey Beach, beneath 10-15 cm of wet sod, partially imbedded in organic sand and cobble beach along the western shore of the harbour
- Associated taxa
- Mammalia: Balaenidae
- Additional information
- NaOH leach omitted; 11.0 g of collagen remained after pre-treatment.
- Comments
- EkBc-no #, Red Bay: GSC-3076 dates wood from the underwater excavation of the San Juan. Comment (W. Blake, Jr.): If the 270 year age (based on the 5568-year half-life) is converted to a radiocarbon date using the 5730-year half-life, a value of 280 years (therefore, AD 1670) is obtained (after rounding off). Following the MASCA conversion table, the age in calendar years for this sample falls into the range of AD 1610 to 1530, i.e., it includes the period of time when the San Juan is known to have sunk. GSC-3086 dates a whale bone thought to have been butchered at the whaling station, but Ringer finds that the age determination is much too early and cannot be explained. Comment on GSC 3283 (W. Stevens): This date appears to be unacceptable in that it should represent the period ca. 1540 AD. However, in view of other dates received from this site ... the fish bone date is much more in line with expectations. The date also supports the hypothesis that the fish bone is not an intrusion from a later occupation (19th or 20th centuries) and, in fact, may represent an earlier occupation. Comment on GSC-3283 (W. Blake, Jr.): The 542 vertebrae ... used for this determination were stored in fresh tap water after collection from the sea bed, then air dried... If a correction is applied for the apparent age of sea water (say, 400 years), and if the radiocarbon years are then converted to calendar years ... one of the possible ages for this sample is about 1530 to 1550 AD (The other possibility is about 1640 AD), i.e., very close to the time that the Basques were fishing in the Red Bay area (the San Juan is believed to have sunk about 1565). Comment on GSC-3285 (W. Blake, Jr.): The sample was dated to determine whether the Tracy Beach whale bone was contemporaneous with the Basque occupation of Red Bay... This particular bone was thought to be significant because the distal end of the rib has been chopped through. The problem is not answered by this determination. As the NaOH leach was omitted possibly younger organic (humic) materials, derived from the underlying sand, made the whale bone appear younger than it really was. Alternatively, the whale bone deposit is a younger feature of Red Bay.