Cited by 4,290Archaeology and ancient environmental studiesGeology and Paleoclimatology ResearchTree-ring climate responses

IntCal09 and Marine09 radiocarbon age calibration curves, 0–50,000 years cal BP

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Reimer, P J, Baillie, M G L, Bard, E, Bayliss, A, Beck, J W, Blackwell, P G, Bronk Ramsey, C, Buck, C E +20 more·2009·Radiocarbon

Abstract

The IntCal04 and Marine04 radiocarbon calibration curves have been updated from 12 cal kBP (cal kBP is here defined as thousands of calibrated years before AD 1950), and extended to 50 cal kBP, utilizing newly available data sets that meet the IntCal Working Group criteria for pristine corals and other carbonates and for quantification of uncertainty in both the 14 C and calendar timescales as established in 2002. No change was made to the curves from 0–12 cal kBP. The curves were constructed using a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) implementation of the random walk model used for IntCal04 and Marine04. The new curves were ratified at the 20th International Radiocarbon Conference in June 2009 and are available in the Supplemental Material at www.radiocarbon.org.

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Crossref · 10.1017/s0033822200034202

Cites

126 of 126 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Much available marine data, including U-Th dated corals, share the offset pattern seen here, despite scatter from diagenesis.

    “However, it is clear that much of the available marine data, including the U-Th dated corals, share the pattern seen here, even though there is some scatter due to diagenesis.This is evident in the placement of the IntCal09 (Reimer et al. 2009) curve relative to IntCal13.”

    From Reanalysis of the Atmospheric Radiocarbon Calibration Record from Lake Suigetsu, Japan (2020) · cites this paper as Reimer et al. 2009

    The Introduction and IntCal09 Curve Construction sections say that IntCal09 incorporates marine records, including independently dated corals, and the Data Set Selection Criteria section discusses screening corals for diagenesis. The paper presents the IntCal09 curve, but it does not compare its placement with IntCal13 or establish that the marine data share the citing paper’s observed pattern. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • In the Early Bronze Age, production rates of 14C fluctuated, resulting in several plateaus and wiggles in the calibration curve.

    “In the Early Bronze Age, production rates of 14 C fluctuated, resulting in several plateaus and wiggles in the calibration curve (Reimer et al. 2004(Reimer et al. , 2009)).”

    From Chronology of the Early Bronze Age in the Southern Levant: New Analysis for a High Chronology (2012) · cites this paper as Reimer et al. 2009

    The Introduction (page not provided) says atmospheric ¹⁴C varied in the past, and “The IntCal09 Curve” says the curve covers the Early Bronze Age by incorporating IntCal04 data for 0–12,000 cal BP. The passages do not establish that production-rate fluctuations specifically caused several plateaus and wiggles during the Early Bronze Age. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • A single Northern Hemisphere 14C calibration curve (IntCal), constructed mainly from known-age wood from central and northern Europe and North America, has become the basis for calendar dates for pre- and protohistory and for other work requiring an accurate absolute time scale.

    “Hence, a single NH 14C calibration curve (IntCal), constructed mainly from known-age wood from central and northern Europe and North America, has become the basis for calendar dates for pre- and protohistory and for other work requiring an accurate absolute time scale (1–4).”

    From Mediterranean radiocarbon offsets and calendar dates for prehistory (2020) · cites this paper as [3]

    Split into 2 atoms — 1 confirmed, 1 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • We would have anticipated that the AA data on BCP and IrO should be similar to the IntCal datasets and the Hd GeO data, given the good agreement in other recent work between GeO and BCP and between GeO and IrO.

    “We would therefore have anticipated that the AA data on BCP and IrO (13) should be similar to the IntCal datasets (1–4) and the Hd GeO data (38), given the good agreement in other recent work between GeO and BCP (40–42) and between GeO and IrO (1–4).”

    From Mediterranean radiocarbon offsets and calendar dates for prehistory (2020) · cites this paper as [3]

    The Additional information section (page not available) identifies the tree-ring data sets used for IntCal09, including German and Irish oak chronologies, so this paper supports the reference to IntCal datasets. Neither that section nor the other passages located reports good agreement between GeO and IrO measurements; that comparison is not supported by this source. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Heidelberg Radiocarbon Laboratory measurements on known-age German oak compare very closely with the IntCal09 calibration curve in both an AD and BC period test.

    “A comparison of Heidelberg Radiocarbon Laboratory measurements on known-age German oak shows that they compare very closely with the IntCal09 calibration curve in both an AD and BC period test: Figures 123.”

    From Considerations of the Scale of Radiocarbon Offsets in the East Mediterranean, and Considering a Case for the Latest (Most Recent) Likely Date for the Santorini Eruption (2012) · cites this paper as Reimer et al. 2009

    The References list identifies a Heidelberg-associated data set of German oak and pine tree rings (lab code Hd), and the Tree-Ring Data Sets section discusses the data used for IntCal09. Our copy does not report a close comparison between Heidelberg German-oak measurements and the curve in AD and BC period tests. (LLM, conf=0.76)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 23

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Authors
Reimer, P. J., Baillie, M. G. L., Bard, E., Bayliss, A., Beck, J. W., Blackwell, P. G., Bronk Ramsey, C., Buck, C. E., Burr, G. S., Edwards, R. L., Friedrich, M., Grootes, P. M., Guilderson, T. P., Hajdas, I., Heaton, T. J., Hogg, A. G., Hughen, K. A., Kaiser, K. F., Kromer, B., McCormac, F. G., Manning, S. W., Reimer, R. W., Richards, D. A., Southon, J. R., Talamo, S., Turney, C. S. M., van der Plicht, J., & Weyhenmeyer, C. E.
Affiliations
  • Queen's University Belfast (GB)
  • English Heritage (GB)
  • University of Arizona (US)
  • University of Sheffield (GB)
  • University of Minnesota (US)
  • University of Hohenheim (DE)
  • Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (DE)
  • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (US)
  • ETH Zurich (CH)
  • University of Waikato (NZ)
  • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (US)
  • University of Zurich (CH)
  • Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (DE)
  • Cornell University (US)
  • University of Bristol (GB)
  • University of California, Irvine (US)
  • Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (DE)
  • University of Exeter (GB)
  • Syracuse University (US)
Venue
Radiocarbon
Published
2009
Volume
51
Issue
4
Pages
1111-1150
ISSN
  • 0033-8222 (ISSN-L)
  • 1945-5755
OpenAlex
W4211135859
Cited by
4,290
References
126
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 48 · 2022: 53 · 2021: 97 · 2020: 165 · 2019: 103 · 2018: 139 · 2017: 179 · 2016: 202 · 2015: 346 · 2014: 658 · 2013: 884 · 2012: 738
FWCI
351.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Radiocarbon (publishedVersion)
  • Stirling Online Research Repository (University of Stirling) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • Research Portal (Queen's University Belfast) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • UA Campus Repository (The University of Arizona) (acceptedVersion)
  • HAL AMU (submittedVersion)
  • Archivio istituzionale della ricerca (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna) (submittedVersion)
  • Open Access Server of the Woods Hole Scientific Community (Woods Hole Scientific Community) (submittedVersion)
  • DORA WSL (Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research) (submittedVersion)
  • Stirling Online Research Repository (University of Stirling) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (submittedVersion)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
  • University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Explore Bristol Research (submittedVersion)
  • Research Commons (University of Waikato) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation
  • Past Global Changes
  • Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen
  • Natural Environment Research Council (NE/E018807/1, NE/E019129/1, NE/I01666X/1)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Archaeology and ancient environmental studies
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Tree-ring climate responses
Keywords
radiocarbon calibration, calibration curve, carbon-14, random walks, Markov chain Monte Carlo, calibration uncertainty

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