Radiometric dating of Middle Pleistocene carbonates: assessing consistency and performance of the U-Th and U-Pb dating methods

Abstract

The U-Th and U-Pb dating methods are widely employed for radiometric dating of Pleistocene carbonates, such as speleothems and corals. The U-Th dating method has been progressively refined over recent decades, largely through advances in mass spectrometry, and is now capable of providing accurate and precise ages for carbonates as old as ∼ 650 000 years under optimal circumstances. Similarly, the U-Pb method, traditionally restricted to dating pre-Quaternary materials, has been adapted in recent years for dating young carbonates. As a result, there is now substantial overlap in the applicable age range of these two dating methods but, thus far, only limited assessment of their consistency an..