Matthew Schmidt

Radiocarbon Dating New Zealand Prehistory Using Marine Shell Matthew Schmidt

A detailed investigation of the reliability of marine shell for radiocarbon dating New Zealand, which compares paired charcoal and marine shell radiocarbon ages from archaeological sites, specifically excavated for this study, and from already dated deposits. Scmidt discusses the factors and problems that need to be considered before sampling and testing and identifies several species of shell that can be relied upon. As a result, Schmidt proposes a chronology for the colonisation of New Zealand.