Calibrated ¹⁴C Ages of Consolidated Sand Layer, Peat, and Trunk Collected from the Hirota Coast, Southeastern Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture

Abstract

 A consolidated and almost horizontally stratified sand layer was exposed east and north of the Hirota site, southeastern Tanegashima after Typhoon 14 struck on September 5-6, 2005. According to previous criteria given to the above-mentioned sediments, they are identified as eolianite. Calibrated ¹⁴C age of the sediments indicated 1,670 cal BP with -5.2‰ of δ¹³C. Judging from the figure for δ¹³C, the origin of calcium carbonate that consolidated the sand bed seems to have derived from underground water percolating through dune sand. Peat and outer layer of the trunk sample were also collected from downstream along the Hirota River, and their calibrated ages were 530-550 cal BP and 2,070 cal BP, respectively.