RADIOCARBON PRETREATMENT COMPARISONS OF BALD CYPRESS (TAXODIUM DISTICHUM) WOOD SAMPLES FROM A MASSIVE BURIED DEPOSIT ON THE GEORGIA COAST, USA

We sampled individual growth rings from three ancient remnant bald cypress ( Taxodium distichum ) trees from a massive buried deposit at the mouth of the Altamaha River on the Georgia Coast to determine the best technique for radiocarbon ( 14 C) dating pretreatment. The results of our comparison of traditional ABA pretreatment and holocellulose and α-cellulose fractions show no significant differences among the pretreatments ( 14 C tree-ring chronology based on these ancient bald cypresses which will indicate whether the U.S. Southeast is subject to a regional radiocarbon offset.