Southwestern Archaeological Tree-Ring Dating

院长 美国国家科学基金会将继续长期支持亚利桑那大学树木年轮研究实验室。这笔赠款允许实验室聘请全职树木年代学家分析考古样本，并为学生助理提供支持。 树轮测年技术是亚利桑那州首创的。 由于树木的生长速度取决于环境条件，树木每年的年轮在形状和厚度上都有变化。通过交叉匹配从现在到史前时期的树木，可以建立一个树木年轮年表，然后使用这个“主记录”来确定从考古和其他情况下收集的小木材样本的日期。对于美国西南部的考古学家来说，这项技术是一个布恩，因为它可以在一年内确定材料的年代。这远远超过了放射性碳测年的准确性。 由于它没有得到足够的支持，而且许多考古学家缺乏支付其服务费用的资金，亚利桑那州实验室无法自行满足考古学对样品测年的要求。该项目将有助于纠正这种情况。 特别是，它将使青年科学家和那些与主要研究机构无关的科学家受益。

Dean The National Science Foundation will continue its long term support of the University of Arizona Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research. This grant allows the laboratory to hire a full-time dendrochronologist to analyze archaeological samples and also provides support for student assistants. The technique of tree-ring dating was pioneered at Arizona. because the rate of tree growth is determined by environmental conditions, yearly growth rings in a tree vary in form and thickness. It is possible to build up a tree ring chronology by cross matching trees from the present to well back in the prehistoric past and then to use this "master record" to date small wood samples collected from archaeological and other situations. For archaeologists in the Southwestern United States, this technique has been a boon because it allows materials to be dated within one year. This far exceeds the accuracy of radiocarbon dating. Because it has not been adequately supported and because many archaeologists lack the funds to pay for its services, the Arizona laboratory has not been able on its own to keep pace with archaeological requests for sample dating. This project will help to remedy that situation. In particular, it will benefit young scientists and those not associated with main line research institutions.