Published June 4, 1982 | Version v1
Journal article

Stable-carbon isotope ratios as a measure of marine versus terrestrial protein in ancient diets

  • 1. Simon Fraser Univ., Burnaby, British Columbia

Description

The stable-carbon isotope ratios for the flesh of marine and terrestrial animals from Canada's Pacific coast differ by 7.9 +- 0.4 per mil, reflecting the approx. 7 per mil difference between oceanic and atmospheric carbon. This difference is passed on to human consumers. The carbon isotopic values (delta 13C) for human collagen thus yield direct information on the relative amounts of marine and terrestrial foods in prehistoric diets

Additional details

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Science (Washington, D.C.)
Journal Volume
216
Series
Science (Washington, D.C.).
Journal Page Range
1131-1132
ISSN
0036-8075