Alexander Cherkinsky’s research while affiliated with University of Georgia and other places

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Publications (13)


Contributions of fossil and non-fossil fractions to total carbon in urban aerosols in Bratislava (Slovakia)
  • Article

August 2024

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12 Reads

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity

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Alexander Cherkinsky

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Miroslav Ješkovský

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[...]

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First AMS radiocarbon dating of Río Chico style paintings (Southernmost Patagonia, Argentina): older than expected Anyone clicking on this link before October 27, 2023 will be taken directly to the final version of the paper https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1hj9P,rVDBfljZ

September 2023

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32 Reads

Journal of Archaeological Science Reports

This paper presents the first AMS 14C dating of the Río Chico Style from southernmost Patagonia (52◦S). These paintings are characterised by the dominance of geometric linear motifs and a low frequency of figurative ones. According to a few indirect radiocarbon dating of stratified pigments and the chronology of nearby sites, the Río Chico Style has traditionally been dated to ca. 2000 BP, although an earlier chronology (ca. 8000 BP) has also been proposed according to Fell Cave (Magallanes, Chile) stratigraphy. Here we present the first AMS 14C dating for this style from three rock paintings at Romario Barría Rockshelter (Pali Aike volcanic field, Santa Cruz province, Argentina). The main objectives of this work are, first, to discuss the chronology of the Río Chico style from direct and indirect datings, second, evaluate the use of the site according to painting manufacture, and finally, analyse the distribution of Río Chico style at the regional scale and its connections with other lines of evidence, such as lithic assemblages, to discuss the role of rock art in highly mobile southern Patagonia hunter gatherer societies.


Tritium and radiocarbon in the water column of the Red Sea

January 2023

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97 Reads

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3 Citations

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity

Despite being the busiest transient sea in the world due to the Suez Canal, radionuclide distribution studies in seawater and sediment of the Red Sea remain rare. A sampling expedition in the Red Sea was conducted from June 9 to July 6, 2021, visiting a transect of several deep sampling stations located along the central axis of the basin from the Gulf of Aqaba to the southern Red Sea (near Farasan Island, Saudi Arabia). The collected seawater profile samples were analyzed for tritium, radiocarbon and oxygen-18. The observed tritium levels in surface waters of the Red Sea peaked at 0.3–0.4 TU, similar to the values observed in the western Arabian Sea (decay corrected). The values observed at waters below 150 m were around 0.2 TU, however, at depths of 450 and 750 m, tritium minima (<0.2 TU) were observed, which could be associated with a partial return flow of bottom waters from the southern to the northern Red Sea. At two stations at the depth of about 550 m, deep Δ¹⁴C minima were observed as well (−4‰ and −10‰), documenting ongoing transport of carbon in the water column, important for sink of anthropogenic carbon.



Figure 1 Northern (left) and southwestern (right) views of the Rotunda St. George in Nitrianska Blatnica (Slovakia).
Figure 2 Map of western Slovakia with location of St. George's Rotunda.
Figure 6 Examples of sampling sites in the Rotunda interior: wood sampling point W6 (1041) in the pre-Romanesque window (a); charcoal C2 (1042) point at the apse closing (b); mortar M1 (1049) point at the northeastern part of the nave (c); mortar M2 (1045) point at the eastern part of the apse wall, and in detail (e).
Figure 7 Comparison of wood 14 C data calculated using the old IntCal13 and the new IntCal20 calibration.
Figure 8 Comparison of 14 C calibrated dates for wood, charcoal, mortar, and plaster samples calculated using IntCal20 calibration.
RADIOCARBON DATING OF ST. GEORGE’S ROTUNDA IN NITRIANSKA BLATNICA (SLOVAKIA): INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM RESULTS
  • Article
  • Full-text available

May 2021

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366 Reads

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7 Citations

Radiocarbon

An international consortium of radiocarbon ( ¹⁴ C) laboratories was established to date the origin of the St. George’s Rotunda in Nitrianska Blatnica (Slovakia), because its age was not well established in previous investigations. Altogether, 20 samples of wood, charcoal, mortar and plaster were analyzed. The ¹⁴ C results obtained from the different laboratories as well as between the different sample types were in good agreement, resulting in a ¹⁴ C calibrated age of 783–880 AD (94.2% probability) for the Rotunda. Although the ¹⁴ C results have very good precision, the specific plateau-shape of the calibration curve in this period caused the wide range of the calibrated age. The probability distribution from OxCal calibration shows, however, that about 86% of the probability distribution lies in the period before 863 AD, implying that the Rotunda could have been constructed before the arrival of Constantine (St. Cyril) and St. Methodius to Great Moravia. The Rotunda thus probably represents the oldest standing purpose-built Christian church in the eastern part of Central Europe.

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THE EXTERMINATION OF THE ANCIENT RUSSIAN CITY OF YAROSLAVL AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 13TH CENTURY: THE LONG JOURNEY TO EXACT DATING

December 2020

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43 Reads

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29 Citations

Radiocarbon

This paper raises methodological issues of radiocarbon ( ¹⁴ C) dating of historical events based on data obtained during the excavations of the Russian medieval city of Yaroslavl. The city is of special interest to our study because of the precise time of its destruction by troops of Batu Khan mentioned in chronicles—the winter of 1238. To date in Yaroslavl, researchers have discovered 9 mass burials of citizens and domestic animals buried sometime after the massacre by the Mongols. Mass burials of people alongside animals in a common grave and outside of the cemetery, in violation of Christian traditions, are not typical of medieval Russia and are a sign of a military catastrophe. To test this hypothesis, we dated a total of 65 samples representing all 9 mass burials. A Bayesian chronological model of the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates narrowed the interval to the range of 1197–1280 cal AD, with the mean age of 1239 AD, consistent with the hypothesis that the studied mass burials of citizens and livestock are related to the capture of the city by the army of Batu Khan.


Fig 1. Scheme of alpha cellulose extraction.
Fig 2. AMS graphitization system in the Dendrochronological Laboratory at AGH-UST, Kraków: a) Reduction line and vacuum line for sample sealing and purification of CO2; b) cryogenically separation CO2 from water in glass vessel cooled in a dry ice/ethanol slurry and trapping CO2 in the glass valve cooled by liquid nitrogen; c) shows the vacuum line for graphite preparation.
Fig 3. Changes in CO2 pressure during reduction for some of the reduced samples.
The results of 14 C AMS measurements of the samples prepared using the graphitization line in the Dendrochronological Laboratory at AGH-UST Krakow.
Status of the AMS graphitization system in the dendrochronological laboratory at AGH-UST, Kraków

December 2020

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311 Reads

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2 Citations

Geochronometria

A new system for the preparation of graphite samples for radiocarbon (14C) measurement using an accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS) has been built in the Dendrochronological Laboratory at AGH-UST, Kraków. This system consists of three independent components. The first is the equipment for mechanical and chemical sample pre-treatment. The second is the vacuum line for sample sealing and the purification of CO2. The third and central part of this system is a graphitization line, where graphite is produced from CO2. In the first stage, chemical sample preparation was carried out to remove impurities. IAEA and NIST OxII standard materials were converted to CO2 without pre-treatment. In the next step, samples were combusted to CO2. The resulting CO2 was released under vacuum and cryogenically purified for subsequent graphitization. The performance of the system was tested with NIST OxII, IAEA standards (IAEA C5, C6 and C7) and background samples. The test confirms good reproducibility of results obtained for the samples prepared using this system. The results of the 49 samples of NIST Ox-II, IAEA standards and blank samples were presented in this article.


Figure 1. Microscopic images of elephant ivory samples used in the study, 10 Â magnification. (a) P7, (b) P2, (c) P4, (d) P6, (e) P1, and (f) P3.
Figure 2. Raman spectra of elephant ivory samples normalized to a collagen peak. The collagen (921 and 1003 cm À1 ) and bioapatite (961 cm À1 ) peaks used in the peak ratio calculations are indicated with arrows. The year listed after the sample name is based on radiocarbon dating.
Figure 4. Raman collagen to bioapatite peak ratios versus sample radiocarbon year, based on the 1003 cm À1 (collagen) to 961 cm À1 (bioapatite) peak pair.
Figure 5. Comparison between the sample date predicted by the Raman-based linear regression and the radiocarbon date.
Figure 6. SVD plot showing groupings of Raman spectra according to the sample date.
EXPRESS: Raman Spectroscopy Allows the Determination of Elephant Ivory Age

May 2020

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1,254 Reads

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5 Citations

Applied Spectroscopy

Determination of the age of ivory is important for controlling illegal trafficking and the proper identification of ivory artifacts. Radiocarbon dating is the standard method of determining the age of ivories; however, it requires the destruction of a fragment of the sample. Raman spectroscopy is a nondestructive technique, and therefore can be used on artwork. Moreover, Raman measurements can be done using a portable system, and the data analysis can be performed on the spot once the groundwork is done. Ivories contain two primary components: collagen and bioapatite. Raman spectrum of ivory material is mainly a sum of the vibrational bands of these components. As collagen deteriorates with time, its Raman signal decreases; therefore, the ratio of collagen to bioapatite peaks is smaller in the older samples compared to the younger ones, providing a basis for sample dating. We have compared the results of Raman and radiocarbon measurements applied to a set of elephant ivory fragments and have successfully calibrated the Raman data set using radiocarbon measurements. We found that the Raman collagen to bioapatite peak ratios of the samples can be used as a metric to determine their age, providing a nondestructive technique to assess the age of ivory samples. We have also used singular value decomposition (SVD) to analyze the whole Raman spectra. We have observed clear separation between samples of different ages in the SVD component space. The samples also tended to align along the timeline diagonal in the correct order. The changes in multiple collagen and bioapatite peaks contribute to the differences in Raman spectra of ivory samples of different age.


Limited carbon contents of centuries old soils forming in legacy sediment

April 2020

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52 Reads

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18 Citations

Geomorphology

Accelerated erosion from European agriculture overwhelmed transport capacities of relatively low-gradient Piedmont watersheds and triggered widespread and massive sediment deposition on floodplains, referred to as legacy sediments. While erosion-driven soil loss on the Southern Piedmont landscape has been widely studied, the resultant legacy sediments deposited on hillslopes, floodplains, and in channels appear remarkably understudied. In the interim between deposition and future remobilization, legacy sediments are undergoing soil formation in ways that impact carbon stocks, nutrient retention, and a number of other soil-sediment functions. Here, we use a pedological framework to understand the dynamics of these legacy sediments by constraining the time since deposition and redevelopment of vegetation and the soil profile. In this study, we characterized the properties of legacy sediment and buried, pre-legacy sediment alluvium, established the timing of legacy sediment deposition and its volume in a 600-ha watershed, and analyzed the impact of accelerated sedimentation on floodplain soil carbon (SOC) storage. We found alluvial legacy sediment in the 6 km² Holcombe's Branch watershed to range in thickness from 0.35 to 1.25 m, averaging 1.01 m in depth (n = 20, CV = 19%). Radiocarbon (¹⁴C) dates from buried wood indicate that accelerated deposition began by the mid-1800s. During the next century, deposition rates increased and peaked at levels up to 40× higher than contemporary sedimentation rates. By the mid-1900s, accelerated deposition rates had slowed significantly, as indicated by surficial distributions of 1960s fall-out ¹³⁷Cs in sediments. Upstream floodplains are today less frequently flooded and function as abandoned floodplains, or terraces. In contrast, downstream sites remain active floodplains and zones of deposition. A century of pedogenesis has formed acidic, well-drained Entisols, characterized by incipient, redeveloping A horizons over coarse-textured C horizons. Buried, pre-legacy sediment alluvium have well-developed redox features, are lower in hue and chroma than legacy sediments, and occasionally have moderate to strong aggregate structure. A century-old mixed pine-hardwood forest has diminished subsoil carbon stocks and created a shallow vertical distribution of SOC stocks, that total 95 Mg C ha⁻¹ (CV = 25%) in the upper 2 m. Legacy sediments have nearly doubled alluvial sediment in the catchment and account for 55% of soil carbon stock. Coarse texture and porous legacy sediment-soils limit accumulation of mineral-associated soil carbon. A-horizon morphology was preserved in buried A horizons underlying legacy sediment, yet these horizons did not account for significant SOC stocks at depth. Depth profiles of active, light-fraction organic carbon revealed differences in SOC preservation between upstream and downstream sites. The hydrogeomorphic change responsible for this difference - from abandoned legacy sediment terraces upstream to active sedimentation on floodplains downstream – will continue to impact soil-sediment dynamics and functioning. Time since last deposition and revegetation are dominant forces in SOC dynamics, while gradients in soil moisture may be creating subtle longitudinal patterns in SOC preservation at depth.



Citations (6)


... bottom, is recorded at the majority of the sampling stations. As recently reported byPovinec et al. (2023), in the Gulf of Aqaba, the first 300 m of the water column indicates stable DO values of about 210 µmol L −1 , whereas DO of about 3.5 µmol kg −1 was measured below the depth of 500 m. Conversely, in the open Red Sea, DO minimum values from 0.6 to 1.25 µmol kg −1 were observed at depths from 300 to 450 m, showing a decreasing trend below 150-200 m. ...

Reference:

The physical and biogeochemical parameters along the coastal waters of Saudi Arabia during field surveys in summer, 2021
Tritium and radiocarbon in the water column of the Red Sea
  • Citing Article
  • January 2023

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity

... As in our previous paper in this series (Povinec et al. 2021), we have already described in detail the historical background, therefore, in this paper we just mention only a few historical facts. It is expected that in the period of the first half of the ninth century Christianity was accepted in some of the Central Europe countries (Goldberg 2006). ...

RADIOCARBON DATING OF ST. GEORGE’S ROTUNDA IN NITRIANSKA BLATNICA (SLOVAKIA): INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM RESULTS

Radiocarbon

... Энговатовой в 2005-2008, 2020, 2021 гг. Судя по результатам комплексных исследований, они одновременны и совершались с целью санитарного погребения погибших при разорении города войсками хана Батыя в 1238 г. (Энговатова и др., 2012; Энговатова, 2019; Engovatova et al., 2021). Было показано, что при разной частоте встречаемости в выборке из массового захоронения в сооружении № 76 и серии XII-XIV вв. ...

THE EXTERMINATION OF THE ANCIENT RUSSIAN CITY OF YAROSLAVL AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 13TH CENTURY: THE LONG JOURNEY TO EXACT DATING
  • Citing Article
  • December 2020

Radiocarbon

... Such 'pink ivory' is highly valued in Japan [39], where it is often used for name seals, known locally as 'hanko' or 'inkan'. Raman spectroscopy has previously been used to analyse ivory specimens, in order to assess the biodeterioration of samples [40], the age of elephants [41], and to distinguish between real and fake ivories [42]. Spatially offset Raman spectroscopy has been utilised to identify ivory concealed below a coating intended to avoid detection [42]. ...

EXPRESS: Raman Spectroscopy Allows the Determination of Elephant Ivory Age

Applied Spectroscopy

... The site origin of the black soils is not known, but the Black Belt Prairie soil province is nearby to the south. Sediment input to the site opens the research avenue of investigating "legacy sediments" both in the creek and on the surrounding floodplains (e.g., Wade et al., 2020). The UTMCCSC is situated in a region with historical significance. ...

Limited carbon contents of centuries old soils forming in legacy sediment
  • Citing Article
  • April 2020

Geomorphology

... Testimonian la colonización temprana por Homo sapiens en regiones de diferentes continentes, como el sudeste asiático (Aubert et al., 2017;Standish et al., 2020), el norte de Australia (David et al., 2013;Ross et al., 2016), la región Franco-Cantábrica (Quiles et al., 2016) y el cono sur de Sudamérica, (Gradin et al., 1979;Carden y Miotti 2020) 1 . En su gran mayoría, estos motivos son el producto de prácticas desarrolladas por sociedades cazadoras-recolectoras, lo cual explica su larga perduración en Australia y la región patagónica, donde este modo de vida perduró hasta momentos de contacto con los europeos (Bradley et al., 2021;Brook et al., 2018;McDonald, 2005;Morwood, 2002;Mulvaney, 1996Mulvaney, , 2013. ...

Pigments, binders, and ages of rock art at Viuda Quenzana, Santa Cruz, Patagonia (Argentina)
  • Citing Article
  • October 2018

Journal of Archaeological Science Reports