I. Carmi

Tel Aviv University | TAU · geophysics and planetary science

Atmospheric ¹⁴C enters aquifers as dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) by dissolution of CO2 in rainwater; this CO2 is exhaled by plant roots into unsaturated zones (USZ) that overlie aquifers. Radiocarbon (half-life 5620 years) is of potential use in hydrology to following the flow of water in an aquifer. However, due to the interaction of DIC with c...

Radiocarbon ( ¹⁴ C) conclusively demonstrates that the very important Yarkon-Tanininm aquifer, named after the two springs where the drainage presumably occurs, is in actuality two distinct aquifers—Upper and Lower. The springs have higher ¹⁴ C activities than the exploitation wells that surround them (all drilled into the Upper aquifer). The sprin...

The Balance of Carbon Dioxide in the Unsaturated Zone, the case of Nizzanim in the southern coastal area of Israel I. Carmi 1,2,3*, M. Stiller 3, Y. Yechieli 3, R. Qubaja 1 1 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel 2 Environmental and Earth Sciences, Tel Aviv University 3 Geological Survey of Isra...

A 22 m sediment core was collected from the unsaturated zone (USZ) in the dunes south of Ashdod, Israel, in a low rainfall year, following an even lower-rainfall year. The mineralogy of was quartz with some clay and carbonate. The local climate is semi-arid. The roots of the sparse vegetation can reach ~8 m. The porosity was ~40–55%. The DIC ranged...

Inorganic carbon, in the form of allogenic (transported) and pedogenic (soil) carbonates in semi-arid soils, may comprise an important carbon sink. Carbon dioxide, CO2, originating from the atmosphere and exhaled by tree roots into the soil, may be hydrated by soil water within the unsaturated zone (USZ) of semi-arid soils to produce the carbonic a...

A study of water and carbon isotopes was conducted in a bare plot in the unsaturated zone of the Yatir Forest in the northern Negev of Israel. Sediment cores were collected in three different seasons. Measurements include profiles of mineralogy, moisture and its δ18O and tritium content, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and its δ13C (‰) and Δ14C (‰...

Radiocarbon laboratories undertake rigorous programmes of internal quality control (QC) and overall quality assurance (QA). In a laboratory "inter-comparison" samples of the same age are dated at different laboratories using a range of techniques and the results are then compared. The authors summarise the results of the fourth of these scientific...

A study of CO2 in soil gas was conducted in a bare plot in the unsaturated zone (USZ) of Yatir Forest, northern Negev, Israel. In 2006, 6 tubes for sampling of soil gas were inserted into the USZ to depths of 30, 60, 90, 120, 200, and 240 cm. Profiles of soil gas in the USZ were collected from the tubes 5 times between October 2007 and September 20...

A study of CO 2 in soil gas was conducted in a bare plot in the unsaturated zone (USZ) of Yatir Forest, northern Negev, Israel. In 2006, 6 tubes for sampling of soil gas were inserted into the USZ to depths of 30, 60, 90, 120, 200, and 240 cm. Profiles of soil gas in the USZ were collected from the tubes 5 times between October 2007 and September 2...

The Neolithic-Chalcolithic site of Qumran Cave 24 is located in desert ecology by the Dead Sea, 285m bsl. Qumran Cave 24 shows exclusive human use almost throughout the first half of the Holocene and must have been a seasonal (winter-spring) short lived site. The economy of the cave’s inhabitants always included an important component of hunting, e...

Radiocarbon and tritium determinations were carried out in 2 adjacent small aquifers in Israel. These aquifers have small storage capacities and good hydraulic properties. Darcy calculations suggest that the aquifers contain young waters, ~50 yr in age. 14C concentrations in the Pleistocene aquifer are between 23-60 pMC, with the lowest activity re...

This paper presents a study of the isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), stable and radioactive, in pore water of the unsaturated zone (USZ) above the coastal aquifer of Israel. The carbon content and its isotopic composition in the gas and solid phases of the USZ are also presented. In the soil gas, large quantities of CO2 with...

This paper presents a study of the isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), stable and radioactive, in pore water of the unsaturated zone (USZ) above the coastal aquifer of Israel. The carbon content and its isotopic composition in the gas and solid phases of the USZ are also presented. In the soil gas, large quantities of CO 2 wit...

Vacuum distillation is shown to be useful for the quantitative extraction of dissolved inorganic carbon (as CO2) and water from sediments of the unsaturated zone in the Coastal Aquifer of Israel. Several tests of vacuum extractions from tap water and sediments are presented, including standard addition, which show that the distillation procedure is...

The roof over the Soreq Cave in Israel was used to model the rate of transport in the vadose zone of the Mountain Aquifer of Israel. This aquifer is of great importance because it supplies 30% of the water consumption for the country. 14C was measured in drip water from stalactites and in pool water in the cave, under varying thickness of cave roof...

The name Dead Sea Scrolls refers to some 1200 manuscripts found in caves in the hills on the western shore of the Dead Sea during the last 45 yr. They range in size from small fragments to complete books from the holy scriptures (the Old Testament). The manuscripts also include uncanonized sectarian books, letters and commercial documents, wirtten...

The Israelite site of Kuntillet Ajrud in northern Sinai contains unique drawings and inscriptions in ancient Hebrew and Phoenician. It is a single-phase site dated archaeologically to ca. 800 BCE. We considered this site a good test case for comparing archaeological with C-14 datings. The dates are in agreement, confirming that C-14 dating is usefu...

In May 1995 an impressive karstic cave possessing dozens of burials dating to the main phase of the Chalcolithic Period (ca. 4500-3500 BCE) was discovered in Peqi'in in the high hills of Galilee in northern Israel. It was subsequently excavated over the course of the following months. The large amount of unique ceramic ossuaries and the variety of...

Archaeological surveys conducted in the Negev and Sinai during the 20th century were commonly interpreted as representing short settlement periods interrupted by long gaps. The time factor was usually based on archaeological esti-mates rather than comprehensive physical dating. For example, the perceived age and time duration of "hole-mouth" potter...

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Levy Thomas E , Higham Thomas , editors. The Bible and Radiocarbon Dating: Archaeology, Text and Science. 2005. London: Equinox Publishing Ltd. 450 pages. ISBN: 1845530578. $39.95 US paperback, $135 US cloth. - Volume 48 Issue 2 - Israel Carmi

Abstract: Abstract: Abstract: Carbon dioxide was extracted from the ambient air at a main intersection in down town Tel-Aviv during the course of one winter day. The volume and stable carbon isotopic composition of the urban atmosphere is temporally quite variable (rising to as much as 590 ppm) and strongly affected by automobile emissions which ar...

Carbon dioxide was extracted from the ambient air at a main intersection in down town Tel-Aviv during the course of one winter day. The volume and stable carbon isotopic composition of the urban atmosphere is temporally quite variable (rising to as much as 590 ppm) and strongly affected by automobile emissions which are depleted in C-13.

Users in the Quaternary and Archaeological Sciences have expressed a general desire for significant improvements in the accuracy and precision of radiocarbon dating results in general but also allied to the measurement of small samples. The accuracy and precision of measurement has also been the focus of some attention within the 14C community. As...

Five radiocarbon analyses were performed on 5 different sources within Soreq Cave, which was used as a model for the Judea Group Aquifer of Israel (pMC q0 ). The transit time of rainwater through the roof of the cave to sources within it had been determined with tritium. From this information, the year of deposition of rain on the roof of the cave,...

32 tritium analyses were performed on 13 different water sources within Soreq Cave, Israel; eight of the water sources were analyzed once each, and the other five between 3 and 6 times each, on samples collected between 1990 and 2000. The results were compared with similar analyses of a 1981–82 collection and with the tritium concentrations of the...

Radiocarbon laboratories undertake rigorous programmes of internal quality control (QC) and overall quality assurance (QA). In a laboratory "inter-comparison" ¹ samples of the same age are dated at different laboratories using a range of techniques and the results are then compared. The authors summarise the results of the fourth of thes...

The most recent radiocarbon inter-comparison exercise (FIRI), completed in 2001, was also the most extensive so far, with 85 laboratories participating. The study was designed firstly to assess the comparability of the results from different laboratories and then to quantify the extent and possible causes of any inter-laboratory variation. Radiocar...

Interlaboratory comparisons have been widely used in applied radiocarbon science. These are an important part of ongoing quality assurance (QA) programmes, which are vital to the appropriate interpretation of the evidence provided by the 14C record in Quaternary applications (including climate change and environmental reconstruction). International...

The paper "The effects of possible contamination on the radiocarbon dates of the Dead Sea Scrolls I: castor oil" by Rasmussen et al. (2001) is discussed. Detailed analysis of the extant dates of the Dead Sea Scrolls suggests that the pre- treatment of the samples was adequate. Errors and omissions in the paper are discussed and the implications of...

Abstract: Abstract: Abstract: Despite almost a hundred years of reforestation efforts, the recharge area of the Judea Group aquifer in the hills of the western Galilee still shows the signs of the severe soil erosion that transpired in previous centuries. At present the soil profile is thin and basement rock is often exposed. Historical and Biblica...

A detailed profile of the stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen was obtained from a speleothem (stalagmite) from the Ceremosjna Cave in eastern Serbia. The stalagmite is a low magnesian calcite that did not show any evidence of diagenetic alteration. It was precipitated under isotopic equilibrium conditions from dripping water. The age and rate of d...

Unusual low water levels in the Sea of Galilee (Dead Sea Fault, Israel) have caused the recent exposure of sub-merged Late Pleistocene prehistoric sites and lacustrine sediments along the southern shores of the lake. The Ohalo II site is a large fisher–hunter–gatherers camp with in-situ brush hut floors, hearths, and a human grave. The site is radi...

The source of endogenic organic and inorganic carbon in lacustrine sediments is the dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the lake water. The relation between the radiocarbon levels of DIC in Lake Kinneret and of CO2 in the atmosphere has been investigated. The ratio of the former to the latter was found to be 0.814 ± 0.013. This ratio is used for ca...

For more than 15 years, the radiocarbon community has participated in a series of laboratory intercomparisons in response to the issue of comparability of measurements as perceived within the wider user communities (Scott et al. 1990; Rozanski et al. 1992; Guiliksen and Scott 1995; Scott et al. 1997). In this report, we provide an update on the cur...

An on-going inter-comparison programme which is focused on assessing and establishing consensus protocols to be applied in the identification, selection and sub-sampling of materials for subsequent 14C analysis is described. The outcome of the programme will provide a detailed quantification of the uncertainties associated with 14C measurements inc...

The remarkable results of several intensive seasons of renewed excavation by the current Expedition at Tel Megiddo are presented in this publication. The stratigraphy of the Early Bronze Age temple compound has been clarified and redated. The largest EB I temple in the Levant, with an extraordinary collection of animal remains in it, was unearthed....

Nahal Qanah Cave, located in the tart Mediterranean region, has been inhabited by humans during several periods of the Holocene. These well-dated cultures are used here to establish the age of a speleothem growing over archaeological remains. delta(18)O and delta(13)C from a stalagmite through the last 6000 years display a 1000-2000-year cycle. Dep...

We describe the results of the GALLEX solar neutrino experiment after completion of the project. In particular, we summarize the results for GALLEX IV (12 solar runs) and for our 71As - spiking experiments. The integral GALLEX result for all 65 solar runs (GALLEX I–IV) is (78 ± 8) SNU (1σ). This is only slightly more than half of the expected rate....

We report the GALLEX solar neutrino results for the measuring period GALLEX IV, from 14 February 1996 until 23 January 1997. Counting for the GALLEX IV runs was completed on 19 June 1997. The GALLEX IV result from 12 solar runs is [118.4 ± 17.8 (stat.) ± 6.6 (sys.)] SNU (1σ). The combined result for GALLEX I+II+III+IV, which comprises 65 solar runs...

After 5.5 years of data taking, GALLEX ended its experimental phase. The solar neutrino production rate, 76.4 ± 8 SNU, represents about 55% of the predicted rate. The As tests prove, at the 1% level, the reliability of the technique and the detection of 51Cr neutrino, with the nominal efficiency (93.0±8%), control the response of the detector to ne...

Previously, it was demonstrated that the GALLEX solar neutrino detector responds properly to low energy neutrinos, by exposing it to two intense 51Cr-neutrino sources; the recovery yield of the product 71Ge was reported to be 93%±8%. New experiments, in which known amounts of radioactive 71As have decayed to 71Ge in the full-scale gallium detector,...

The radiochemical GALLEX experiment, which has been measuring the solar neutrino flux since May 1991, has performed an investigation with two intense Cr-51 neutrino sources (> 60 PBq) that were produced in the Siloe nuclear reactor and used at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory, one between June and October 1994, and the second between October 95 a...

The accepted state-of-the-art 14C dating method relies on calibration curves to determine initial 14C levels in a sample. The paper reconsiders the basis of 14C dating and offers a possible alternative that eliminates the need to employ calibration curves. The idea is to measure the level of radiogenic nitrogen atoms retained in the sample molecule...

The accepted state-of-the-art C-14 dating method relies on calibration curves to determine initial C-14 levels in a sample. The paper reconsiders the basis of 14C dating and offers a possible alternative that eliminates the need to employ calibration curves. The idea is to measure the level of radiogenic nitrogen atoms retained in the sample molecu...

Radiocarbon activities and uranium isotopic disequilibria were measured in water samples from both the sandy Pleistocene coastal aquifer and within the upper Cretaceous Judea Group carbonate aquifer of northwestern Israel. The samples in both aquifers exhibit a decrease in C-14 activity that is concomitant to the growth in U-234-excess. This sugges...

Radiocarbon activities and uranium isotopic disequilibria were measured in water samples from both the sandy Pleistocene coastal aquifer and within the upper Cretaceous Judea Group carbonate aquifer of northwestern Israel. The samples in both aquifers exhibit a decrease in 14 C activity that is concomitant to the growth in 234 U-excess. This sugges...

In May 1995 an impressive karstic cave possessing dozens of burials dating to the main phase of the Chalcolithic Period ( ca. 4500–3500 bce) was discovered in Peqi'in in the high hills of Galilee in northern Israel. It was subsequently excavated over the course of the following months. The large amount of unique ceramic ossuaries and the variety of...

We report the GALLEX solar neutrino results for the measuring period GALLEX III, the period from 12 October 1994-4 October 1995. Counting for these runs was completed on 29 March 1996. The GALLEX III result (14 runs) is [53.9 ± 10.6(stat.) ± 3.1 (syst.)] SNU (1σ). This is 15.8 SNU below but statistically compatible with the new combined result for...

Since May 1991, the GALLEX experiment — installed in the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory — is continuously monitoring the solar neutrino signal by measuring the 71Ge production rate in a target of 30.3 tons of natGa. The measured signal 77.1 ± 8.5 (stat) +4.4 – 5.4 SNU (1 σ) [1] is well below the Standard Solar Model (SSM) prediction: ⋍ 120–130 S...

Charcoal samples from the Early Epipalaeolithic submerged fisher-hunter-gatherers site of Ohalo II have been dated by three laboratories. The samples derive from huts, hearths, a grave and a stone installation. Twenty-five date range between 17,500-21,050 bp and average c. 19,400 bp. The thickness of deposits, the perishable building material (of t...

The galliumchloride detector operated by the GALLEX-collaboration in the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory responds primarily to pp-neutrinos. They are produced in the primary fusion reaction of hydrogen into deuterium and directly coupled to the solar luminosity. Standard Solar Models predict ca. 58% of the total signal expected in GALLEX (123-132...

The radiochemical GALLEX experiment, which has been measuring the solar neutrino flux since May 1991, has performed an investigation with an intense man-made 51Cr neutrino source (61.9 ± 1.2 PBq). The source, produced via neutron irradiation of ≈ 36 kg of chromium enriched in 50Cr, primarily emits 746 keV neutrinos. It was placed for a period of 3....

The prehistoric site Nahal Issaron is located on the alluvial fan of Nahal Issaron, a short wadi draining into Biqat Uvda some 50 km north of Eilat. Excavated in the early 1980s, it constitutes a major Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) layer, with continued but sporadic occupation throughout the Late Neolithic to the Chalcolithic period. In the PPNB l...

The Israelite site of Kuntillet Ajrud in northern Sinai contains unique drawings and inscriptions in ancient Hebrew and Phoenician. It is a single-phase site dated archaeologically to ca. 800 bce. We considered this site a good test case for comparing archaeological with 14 C datings. The dates are in agreement, confirming that 14 C dating is usefu...

We report new GALLEX solar neutrino results from 15 runs covering 406 days (live time) within the exposure period 19 August 1992-13 October 1993 ("GALLEX II"). With counting data considered until 4 January 1994, the new result is [78 +/- 13 (stat.) +/- 5 (syst.)] SNU (1 sigma). It confirms our previous result for the 15 initial runs ("GALLEX I") of...

Tritium concentrations suggest two freshwater recharge mechanisms of the Quaternary coastal Dead Sea aquifer, mainly flood water infiltration in Wadi Zeelim and lateral inflow through the Judea Group-Quaternary boundary in Wadi Hemar. The low tritium concentration in most brackish groundwaters indicates that the travel time from the mountain rechar...

During the period of high atmospheric tritium levels, tritium was used successfully to estimate the residence time of groundwater systems. With the gradual decline of atmospheric tritium, the age determination has become ambiguous, since one cannot distinguish between young waters and older ones in which the high tritium values are decayed. However...

The prehistoric site Nahal Issaron is located on the alluvial fan of Nahal Issaron, a short wadi draining into Biqat Uvda some 50 km north of Eilat. Excavated in the early 1980s, it constitutes a major Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) layer, with continued but sporadic occupation throughout the Late Neolithic to the Chalcolithic period. In the PPNB l...

The first period (GALLEX I) of data taking in the GALLEX solar neutrino experiment has been completed. From 14 May 1991 to 29 April 1992, the experiment observed the solar neutrino flux using neutrino capture by 71Ga to form 71Ge. Counting ended on 2 November 1992. The final result from the 15 runs of this periodpis (81±17 [stat.]±9 [syst.]) SNU (1...

A main process affecting interstitial water and solutes at shallow depths on the newly formed shores of the Dead Sea (DS) is evaporation. The evaporation rate from the unsaturated zone, as calculated based on stable isotope profiles, ranges from 0.5 to 36 mm yr−1. The high tritium concentrations (20–40 TU as compared with < 10 TU in recent precipit...

The GALLEX collaboration is performing an experiment for the detection of neutrinos coming principally from the p-p fusion reaction in the Sun, via the reaction ve +71Ga →71Ge + e-. The experiment is running in the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory of INFN, using as a target 30.3 tons of gallium in the form of 8.13 molar aqueous GaCl3 solution. A...

Charred plant remains, 19,000 years old, were uncovered at Ohalo II on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Israel. The wild barley and other edible grasses and fruits found suggest, by their ripening seasons, that the site was occupied at least during spring and autumn. The species found provide insights into the subsistence strategy of the earliest k...

The GALLEX result 83 ± 19 (stat.) ± 8 (syst.) SNU is two standard deviations below the predictions of stellar model calculations (124–132 SNU). To fit this result together with those of the chlorine and Kamiokande experiments requires severe stretching of solar models but does not rule out such a procedure, leaving the possibility of massless neutr...

We have measured the rate of production of 71Ge from 71Ga by solar neutrinos. The target consists of 30.3 t of gallium in the form of 8.13 M aqueous gallium chloride solution (101 t), shielded by ≈ 3300 m water equivalent of standard rock in the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory (Italy). In nearly one year of operation, 14 measurements of the produ...

Since 18 months, the radiochemical Gallium-Solar-Neutrino Experiment “GALLEX” is fully operative at the INFN-Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory (LNGS) in Central Italy. Among other things, 41 full scale experiments have been performed since June 1990, establishing the technical aspects of the experiment to be successful in every respect, as designed...

The Gesher Benot Ya'aqov archaeological site in the northern Dead Sea Rift of Israel contains Acheulian artifacts and middle Pleistocene fossils. Initial results of a new interdisciplinary study have shown that fluviolacustrine sediments of the Benot Ya'aqov Formation, which contains several archaeological occupations, were deposited in an embaymen...

The following list consists of dates of archaeological samples, obtained by gas-proportional counting of ethane, between 1985 and the end of 1991. During this time a close cooperation has been established with the Israel Antiquities Authority, which now has an archaeologist participating in the operation of the lab and serving as a liaison officer...

The name Dead Sea Scrolls refers to some 1200 manuscripts found in caves in the hills on the western shore of the Dead Sea during the last 45 years. They range in size from small fragments to complete books from the holy scriptures (the Old Testament). The manuscripts also include uncanonized sectarian books, letters and commercial documents, writt...

Mount Sedom is a salt diapir, on the southwestern shore of the Dead Sea, which has been rising above the local base level throughout the Holocene. Karst development within the salt body has kept pace with the rise forming subhorizontal cave passages with vertical shafts. Wood fragments found embedded in flood sediments that were deposited in the ca...