AMS support for Australian prehistory research

Abstract

The major use of ANTARES is Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) with 14C being the most commonly analysed radioisotope - presently about 35% of the available beam time on ANTARES is used for 14C measurements. The accelerator measurements are supported by, and dependent on, a strong sample preparation section. The ANTARES AMS facility supports a wide range of investigations into fields such as global climate change, ice cores, oceanography, dendrochronology, anthropology, and classical and Australian archaeologgy. Described here are some examples of the ways in which AMS has been applied to support the research into the archaeology, prehistory and culture of this continent's indigenous Aboriginal peoples.