RADIOCARBON INVESTIGATION OF THE BIG BAOBAB OF OUTAPI, NAMIBIA

Adrian PATRUT; Roxana T. PATRUT; Laszlo RAKOSY; Demetra RAKOSY; Ileana-Andreea RATIU; Karl F. VON REDEN

doi:10.24193/subbchem.2021.1.12

Authors

Adrian PATRUT Babeş-Bolyai University, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, 11 Arany Janos, RO-400028, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Babeş-Bolyai University, Raluca Ripan Institute for Research in Chemistry, 30 Fantanele, RO-400294 Cluj-Napoca, Romania. *Corresponding author: apatrut@gmail.com https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9862-6735
Roxana T. PATRUT Babeş-Bolyai University, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, 11 Arany Janos, RO-400028, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8691-2160
Laszlo RAKOSY Babeş-Bolyai University, Faculty of Biology and Geology, 44 Republicii, RO-400015, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7793-6996
Demetra RAKOSY AG Spatial Interaction Centre, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research, 5e Deutscher Platz, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8010-4990
Ileana-Andreea RATIU Babeş-Bolyai University, Faculty of Chemstry and Chemical Engineering, 11 Arany Janos, RO-400028, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Babeş-Bolyai University, Raluca Ripan Institute for Research in Chemistry, 30 Fantanele, RO-400294 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Karl F. VON REDEN NOSAMS Facility, Dept. of Geology & Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, U.S.A. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6413-9018

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24193/subbchem.2021.1.12

Keywords:

AMS radiocarbon dating, Adansonia digitata, dendrochronology, age determination, false cavity, multiple stems.

Abstract

The article reports the AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) radiocarbon dating results of the Big baobab of Outapi, which is the largest African baobab of Outapi, Namibia. The investigation of this monumental baobab revealed that it consists of 8 fused stems, out of which 4 are false stems. The Big baobab exhibits a closed ring-shaped structure. Three stems build the ring, which is now incomplete due to previous damage to the false cavity. Three wood samples were collected from the false cavity and from the longest false stem. Seven segments were extracted from the samples and dated by radiocarbon. The oldest investigated sample segment had a radiocarbon date of 820 ± 17 BP, corresponding to a calibrated age of 780 ± 10 calendar years. According to dating results, the Big baobab of Outapi is 850 ± 50 years old.

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