RADIOCARBON DATING OF THE VERY LARGE EGG BAOBAB FROM THE ANDOMBIRY FOREST, MADAGASCAR

Adrian  PATRUT; Roxana T.  PATRUT; Jean-Michel  LEONG POK-TSY; Laszlo  RAKOSY; Pascal  DANTHU; Ileana Andreea  RAŢIU; Jenő  BODIS; Stephan  WOODBOURNE

doi:10.24193/subbchem.2023.3.09

RADIOCARBON DATING OF THE VERY LARGE EGG BAOBAB FROM THE ANDOMBIRY FOREST, MADAGASCAR

Authors

Adrian PATRUT Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Babeş-Bolyai University; Raluca Ripan Institute for Research in Chemistry, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Email: apatrut@chem.ubbcluj. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9862-6735
Roxana T. PATRUT Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Email: roxanapatrut@yahoo.com. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8691-2160
Jean-Michel LEONG POK-TSY DP Forêt et Biodiversité, Antananarivo, Madagascar. Corresponding author: apatrut@chem.ubbcluj.
Laszlo RAKOSY Faculty of Biology and Geology, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Email: laszlo.rakosy@ubbcluj.ro. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7793-6996
Pascal DANTHU French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), University of Montpellier, France. Corresponding author: apatrut@chem.ubbcluj. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9607-8253
Ileana Andreea RAŢIU Faculty of Chemstry and Chemical Engineering, Babeş-Bolyai University; Raluca Ripan Institute for Research in Chemistry, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Email: andreea_ratiu84@yahoo.com. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2615-684X
Jenő BODIS Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Babeş-Bolyai University; Raluca Ripan Institute for Research in Chemistry, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Email: jbodis@chem.ubbcluj.ro. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7080-124X
Stephan WOODBOURNE iThemba LABS; Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, South Africa. Email: swoodborne@tlabs.ac.za. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8573-8626

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24193/subbchem.2023.3.09

Keywords:

AMS radiocarbon dating, Adansonia grandidieri, tropical trees, multiple stems, false cavity

Abstract

The article discloses the AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) radiocarbon dating results of the Egg baobab, a superlative Grandidier baobab (Adansonia grandidieri) from the Andomiry Forest, Atsimo-Andrefana region, Madagascar. The investigation of the baobab shows that it consists of 5 perfectly fused stems and exhibits a closed ring-shaped structure with a very large false cavity inside. The calculated overall wood volume of the Egg baobab is 450 m³. Two wood samples were collected from the exterior of the stems, out of which nine tiny segments were extracted and dated by radiocarbon. The oldest sample segment had a radiocarbon date of 921 ± 24 BP, which corresponds to a calibrated age of 840 ± 25 years. According to this value the Egg baobab is 875 ± 75 years old.

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STUDIA UBB CHEMIA, Volume 68 (LXXVIII), No. 3, September 2023

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Published

2023-09-25

How to Cite

PATRUT, A. ., PATRUT, R. T. ., LEONG POK-TSY, J.-M. ., RAKOSY, L. ., DANTHU, P. ., RAŢIU, I. A. ., … WOODBOURNE, S. . (2023). RADIOCARBON DATING OF THE VERY LARGE EGG BAOBAB FROM THE ANDOMBIRY FOREST, MADAGASCAR. Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Chemia, 68(3), 141–151. https://doi.org/10.24193/subbchem.2023.3.09