Radiocarbon Dating of Petroleum-Impregnated Bone from Tar Pits at Rancho La Brea, California

Abstract

A liquid-chromatography method has been developed for the separation of amino acids with the same specific activity in radiocarbon from bones impregnated with isotopically dead petroleum compounds found in the La Brea tar pits. This technique permits the application of radiocarbon dating to such bone assemblages.