Fluoride dating of mastodon bone from an early paleoindian spring site

Assessment of the fluoride content of mastodon bones from the Hiscock site, Genesee County, New York, demonstrate that fluoride dating by ion selective electrode can be used to determine the relative ages of late Pleistocene bones. In order to release fluoride from large individual skeletal elements it is necessary to remove all preservative coatings, use a homogenous powdered sample, and wet it well with 0.5 M HClO4 for 7 to 8 min. The reproducibility or relative error is approximately 4% of the fluoride concentration and perhaps as low as 2% for specimens that have not been subjected to preservative. © 1998 Academic Press.