University of California, San Diego Mt. Soledad Radiocarbon Lab records, 1957-1984, undated

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Summary

Creators:
University of California, San Diego. Mt. Soledad Radiocarbon Lab
Abstract:
The University of California, San Diego Mt. Soledad Radiocarbon Lab records document the daily operations of the University of California, San Diego Mt. Soledad Radiocarbon Lab. The records contain provenience information, correspondence, journal articles, research notes, logs and other material documenting the research activities of the UCSD Radiocarbon Lab. The bulk of the collection consists of lab notebooks, which contain data related to various aspects of the radiocarbon dating process.
Extent:
6.25 linear feet (5 boxes)
Language:
The collection is in English .
Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [date if possible]. University of California, San Diego Radiocarbon Laboratory records (UA 017). Special Collections & University Archives, University of California, Riverside.

Background

Scope and content:

The University of California, San Diego Mt. Soledad Radiocarbon Lab records document the daily operations of the University of California, San Diego Mt. Soledad Radiocarbon Lab. The records contain provenience information, correspondence, journal articles, research notes, logs and other material documenting the research activities of the UCSD Radiocarbon Lab. The bulk of the collection consists of lab notebooks, which contain data related to various aspects of the radiocarbon dating process.

Biographical / historical:

The UCSD Mt. Soledad Radiocarbon Lab was founded by Professor Hans Seuss in 1956. The lab operated in the Department of Chemistry and Scripps Institution of Oceanography from 1956-1990. Under Seuss' direction, the lab tested thousands of samples, many of them related to the oceanography research conducted by scientists at the Scripps Insitution.

Seuss was born in Vienna, Austria in 1909. He was the grandson of the noted geologist Eduard Suess. His father, Franz E. Seuss, was a professor of geology at the University of Vienna. Seuss completed his Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Vienna and subsequently taught at the University of Hamburg from 1937-1950.

Seuss emigrated to the U.S. in 1950 to work as a research fellow at the Institute for Nuclear Studies at the University of Chicago. He joined the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1955. He was one of the original four faculty members appointed at UCSD, where he served as professor of geochemistry from 1958-1977. Seuss was recognized for his research in the distribution of carbon-14 and tritium in the ocean and atmosphere. He received numerous awards for his contributions to the field of geochemistry, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, the V.M. Goldschmidt Medal and the Leonard Medal of the International Meteoritical Society.

Seuss passed away on September 20, 1993.

Acquisition information:
This collection was transferred by former UCR Anthropology professor and director of the UCR Radiocarbon Lab, Dr. Erv Taylor, in 2016. A later acccrual was found at a storage facility rented by the UCR Department of Anthropology and added to the collection in 2022.
Processing information:

Processed by Andrea Hoff, University Archivist, 2022.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into three series as described below. Series 3 consists of several sub-series, which are described at the series level.

  • Series 1. Sample Documentation, 1974-1979, undated
  • Series 2. Miscellaneous Files, 1958-1973, undated
  • Series 3. Lab Notebooks, 1957-1984, undated
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Copyright Unknown: Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction, and/or commercial use, of some materials may be restricted by gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing agreement(s), and/or trademark rights. Distribution or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. To the extent other restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable rights holder is also required. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [date if possible]. University of California, San Diego Radiocarbon Laboratory records (UA 017). Special Collections & University Archives, University of California, Riverside.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Riverside - Special Collections and University Archives
P.O. Box 5900
Riverside, CA 92517-5900, US
Contact:
(951) 827-3233
specialcollections@ucr.edu
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