¹⁴C dating of modern marine and estuarine shellfish

Abstract

We measured the ¹⁴C content of 36 living marine molluscs from Tairua Harbour and the rocky coast on the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand. We identified species suitable for radiocarbon dating and show that the open marine intertidal zone is enriched in ¹⁴C compared to the open marine subtidal zone or estuary. We also found a uniform ¹⁴C distribution in the Tairua Harbour, by analyzing samples of the estuarine bivalveAustrovenus stutchburyi collected up to 5 km from the harbor entrance.