RADIOCARBON DATING EVIDENCE FOR MAMMOTHS ON WRANGEL ISLAND, ARCTIC-OCEAN, UNTIL 2000-BC

Radiocarbon dating results of mammoth tusks, teeth and bones collected on Wrangel Island between 1989 and 1991 reveal a unique mammoth refug ium during the Holocene. We used an improved chemical procedure to obt ain and purify collagen from bone. Benzene synthesized from the sample s was measured using a liquid scintillation counter. The validity of o ur data has been confirmed by the results of our measurements on two i nternational control sample series (IAEA and TIRI) and by parallel mea surements of Wrangel Island mammoth remains at other laboratories.