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Fluorine Dating

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Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

Synonyms

Fluoride dating; Fluorine absorption dating

Definition

Fluorine dating is a method that measures the amount of fluoride absorbed by bones in order to determine their relative age. Unlike radiometric dating methods, it cannot provide a chronometric (or calendrical) date. Fluorine dating provides only a relative date for bone, revealing whether specimens are older or younger than one another or if they are of the same age (Berger and Protsch, 1991; Lyman et al., 2012).

Fluorine dating relies on the discovery that bone mineral, calcium hydroxyapatite, will absorb fluoride ions if, during burial, it is exposed to groundwater that contains fluoride. Groundwater and soil in most parts of the world contain small amounts of fluoride, and these ions can replace the hydroxyl ions in bone mineral to form fluorapatite. In this way, the chemically unstable Ca10 (PO4)6(OH)2 is gradually replaced by the more stable Ca5(PO4)3F. Bones absorb fluoride over time, and as a result, those that...

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Bibliography

  • Berger, R., and Protsch, R., 1991. Fluorine dating. In Göksu, H. Y., Oberhofer, M., and Regulla, D. (eds.), Scientific Dating Methods. Dordrecht: Kluwer, pp. 251–270.

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  • Goodrum, M. R., and Olson, C., 2009. The quest for an absolute chronology in human prehistory: anthropologists, chemists and the fluorine dating method in palaeoanthropology. British Journal for the History of Science, 42(1), 95–114.

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  • Lyman, R. L., Rosania, C. N., and Boulanger, M. T., 2012. Comparison of fluoride and direct AMS radiocarbon dating of black bear bone from Lawson Cave, Missouri. Journal of Field Archaeology, 37(3), 226–237.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Science and Technology in Society, Virginia Tech, 133 Lane Hall, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Matthew R. Goodrum

Authors
  1. Matthew R. Goodrum
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matthew R. Goodrum .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA

    Allan S. Gilbert

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© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Goodrum, M.R. (2017). Fluorine Dating. In: Gilbert, A.S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4409-0_44

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