Submit SampleThe first curves were published in the 1960’s and revised through the early 1980’s.
In 1986 the first high-precision calibration curve for terrestrial samples was constructed and based primarily on measurements made in Seattle, Belfast, Heidelberg and Arizona. The wood samples came mainly from Irish oak and trees from the Pacific coast of North America as well as data from bristlecone pines and German oak. A marine curve based on an ocean-atmosphere box model was also produced.
Updates to the calibration curve – IntCal09 and IntCal13
The term ‘IntCal’ was coined in 1993 to recognize the curve was an international effort when uranium-thorium dated corals (reservoir age corrected for use in the terrestrial curve) were included to extend the calibration curves to 21,950 cal BP.
In 1998 the curves were updated with more tree-ring measurements and extended to 24,000 years before present (cal BP) by including foraminifera from Cariaco basin varved sediments and additional U-Th dated corals.
In 2001 a grant from the Leverhulme Trust, UK to Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) enabled the formation of the IntCal Working Group (IWG).
The IWG met at Queen’s University Belfast and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute to establish criteria for calibration data and methods for curve construction. In 2004 the IWG released new IntCal, SHCal and Marine curves for the Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere and the surface ocean, which had been further refined and extended to 26,000 cal BP.
Meeting of the IntCal Working Group at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, USA in 2003
Further updates to the radiocarbon calibration curves.
The IWG extended the curves to 50,000 cal BP in 2009 and updated the curves again in 2013. IntCal20, SHCal20 and Marine20 curves were updated and extended to 55,000 cal BP in 2020. Updates are under discussion with Prof. Christopher Bronk Ramsey who is now leading the IWG.
Latest updates to the calibration curve – IntCal20