The ¹⁴C Dating Research Laboratory – ECHoMICADAS is open to all, offering access to state-of-the-art equipment and the expertise of our experienced geochronologists. While the platform primarily supports research projects, we welcome external collaborations and service requests, whether academic or non-academic.
Access is straightforward: simply contact our team to discuss your project. We will work with you to clarify your scientific objectives, characterize the material to be analyzed, and anticipate any potential contamination related to storage or preservation conditions.
Our experts remain available throughout the process to assist with data analysis, statistical treatment of results, and, if desired, preparation of reports or publications.
Pricing is available upon request. Typical turnaround times are 3–4 months (sometimes less) and may vary depending on staff availability and occasional equipment issues :-). While we prioritize quality and rigor, we always strive to meet reasonable deadlines. Every analysis is conducted with the utmost care to ensure reliable, high-quality results.
Contact
For pricing, scientific inquiries, or sample submission details, please use our general email address : . Your message will reach the entire team simultaneously.
You can download the Information Request Form, which we ask you to complete and submit electronically together with your sample(s).
What Samples We Can Process
The ¹⁴C Dating Research Laboratory at LSCE, with 70 years of experience and expertise in radiocarbon dating, can process a very wide range of samples, whether biogenic or abiotic, for measurement on organic or mineral fractions. Non-exhaustively, examples include: charcoal, wood, bone, ivory, textiles, pottery, soil, sediment, peat, water (POC, DOC, DIC), mollusk shell, coral, foraminifera, speleothem, calcite coating, and more.
Furthermore, operating a MICADAS, the ¹⁴C Dating Research Laboratory at LSCE can measure very small samples or those with low carbon content. Thanks to the gas source of ECHoMICADAS, reliable and precise measurements can be performed on just a few tens of micrograms of carbon (a few 10 µgC). Larger samples are measured using the solid source of the instrument, typically requiring a few hundred micrograms to 1 mg of carbon (100 µg–1 mgC).
This technology represents a major leap, comparable to the historical shift from β-counting (1 gC) to AMS (1 mgC). With this equipment, ¹⁴C dating is approaching the realm of near non-destructive analytical techniques.
Quality control
The ¹⁴C Dating Research Laboratory – ECHoMICADAS has been integrated into the international radiocarbon community since its inception. As part of this network, it participates in intercomparison exercises organized by M. Scott. These exercises involve sending samples of varying types and ages to participating laboratories, which analyze them blindly. The results are then subjected to rigorous statistical analysis and published.
In addition, technological developments, as well as the chemical preparation and data processing protocols implemented on the platform, are documented in scientific publications.
Selected technical publications by the scientists operating the technical platform:
- Casanova E. et al. (2018) Practical Considerations in High-Precision Compound-Specific Radiocarbon Analyses: Eliminating the Effects of Solvent and Sample Cross-Contamination on Accuracy and Precision. Anal Chem 90(18), 11025-11032. doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.8b02713.
- Casanova E. et al. (2020) Accurate compound-specific 14C dating of archaeological pottery vessels. Nature 580(7804), 506-510. doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2178-z.
- Casanova E. et al. (2020). Compound-Specific Radiocarbon, Stable Carbon Isotope and Biomarker Analysis of Mixed Marine/Terrestrial Lipids Preserved in Archaeological Pottery Vessels. Radiocarbon 62(6), 1679-1697. doi.org/10.1017/rdc.2020.11.
- Casanova E. et al. (2021) Generation of Two New Radiocarbon Standards for Compound-Specific Radiocarbon Analyses of Fatty Acids from Bog Butter Finds. Radiocarbon 63(3), 771-783. doi.org/10.1017/rdc.2021.15.
- Hatté C. et al. (2001) Is classical Acid-Alkali-Acid treatment responsible for contamination? An alternative proposition. Radiocarbon 43(2A), 177-182.
- Hatté C. et al. (2001) Development of an accurate and reliable 14C chronology for loess sequences. Application to the loess sequence of Nußloch (Rhine valley, Germany). Radiocarbon 43(2B), 611-618.
- Hatté C. et al. (2003). Development of an automated system for preparation of organic samples. Radiocarbon 45(3), 421-430.
- Hatté C., et al. (2024) Radiocarbon dating on ECHoMICADAS, LSCE, Gif-sur-Yvette, France: New and updated chemical procedures. Radiocarbon, 66(5), 1166-1181. doi: :10.1017/RDC.2023.46
- Thil F. et al. (2024) 14C microsample analysis with ECHoMICADAS facilities: current state of play. Radiocarbon, 66(5), 1379-1394. doi: 10.1017/RDC.2024.76
- Tisnérat-Laborde N. et al. (2001) Development of a semi-automated system for routine preparation of carbonate samples. Radiocarbon 43, 299-304.
- Tisnérat-Laborde N. et al. (2003) AMS-radiocarbon dating of bones at LSCE. Radiocarbon 45, 409-419.
- Tisnérat-Laborde N. et al. (2015) ECHoMICADAS: A new compact AMS system to measuring 14C for Environment, Climate and Human Sciences, 22nd International Radiocarbon Conference, Dakar, Senegal, 16-20 November 2015. PHYS-O.05.