C-14 DATING OF MODERN MARINE AND ESTUARINE SHELLFISH

We measured the C-14 content of 36 living marina molluscs from Tairua Harbour and the rocky coast on the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand . We identified species suitable for radiocarbon dating and show that the open marine intertidal zone is enriched in C-14 compared to the op en marine subtidal zona or estuary. We also found a uniform C-14 distr ibution in the Tairua Harbour, by analyzing samples of the estuarine b ivalve Austrovenus stutchburyi collected up to 5 km from the harbor en trance.