University of California, San Diego Mt. Soledad Radiocarbon Lab records
Finding aid prepared by Andrea Hoff, University Archivist.
Special Collections & University Archives
The UCR Library
P.O. Box 5900
University of California
Riverside, California 92517-5900
Phone: 951-827-3233
Fax: 951-827-4673
Email: specialcollections@ucr.edu
URL: http://library.ucr.edu/libraries/special-collections-university-archives
© 2022
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: University of California, San Diego Mt. Soledad Radiocarbon Lab records
Date (inclusive): 1957-1984 & undated
Collection Number: UA 017
Creator:
Suess, Hans Eduard, 1909-
Creator:
University of California, San Diego. Mt. Soledad Radiocarbon Lab
Extent:
6.25 linear feet
(5 boxes)
Repository:
Rivera Library. Special Collections Department.
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.
Languages: English
.
Access
This collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
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.
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 History
Processed by Andrea Hoff, University Archivist, 2022.
Collection Scope and Contents
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.
Collection 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
Historical Background
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.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
University of California, San Diego
Radiocarbon dating
Universities and colleges
Genres and Forms of Materials
Research notes
Laboratory notebooks
Correspondence
Articles
Series 1: Sample Documentation
1974-1979 & undated
Series Scope and Contents
This series contains sample documentataion produced by the UCSD Radiocarbon Lab. The bulk of the series consists of provenience
information for various samples that were tested at the lab.
Arrangement
This series is arranged in alphabetical order.
Box 1, Folder 1
Label from box of "completed samples"
undated
Box 1, Folder 2
Letter regarding samples from C.W. Ferguson to Hans Seuss
1977
Box 1, Folder 3
Note for unidentified sample
undated
Box 1, Folder 4
Provenience and shipping slip for fossils sent from Zurich
1974
Box 1, Folder 5
Provenience for ARMC sample #508C-#3, sample tags and empty bag
1979
Box 1, Folder 6
Provenience for sample #ISGS-264A
1976
Box 1, Folder 7
Provenience for sample (in German)
undated
Box 1, Folder 8
Provenience for wood samples from Two Creeks locality
1975
Series 2: Miscellaneous Files
1958-1973 & undated
Series Scope and Contents
This series contains miscellaneous files that were used in the day-to-day operations of the UCSD Radiocarbon Lab. The series
also includes reference materials such as a dissertation by Jan Cornelius Houtermans and materials that were housed in a three-ring
binder labeled "Library."
Series Arrangement
This series is arranged in alphabetical order.
Box 1, Folder 9
Calculations and counter
undated
Box 1, Folder 10
"Effect of Industrial Fuel Combustion on the Carbon-14 Level of Atmospheric CO2" by Houtermans & Seuss
1967
Box 1, Folder 11
"Geophysical Interpretations of Bristlecone Pine Radiocarbon Measurements Using a Method of Fourier Analysis of Unequally
Spaced Data" Dissertation by Jan Cornelius Houtermans
1971
Box 1, Folder 12
Library - Rains and fresh H2O
1958-1970
Box 1, Folder 13
Library - Reference and special
1961-1966
Box 1, Folder 14
Library -Sea waters
1961-1971
Box 1, Folder 15
Shipping records
1966-1973
Box 1, Folder 16
"Tritium in the Mixed Layer of the North Pacific Ocean" by Dockins, Bainbridge, Houtermans and Seuss
undated
Series 3: Lab Notebooks
1957-1984 & undated
Series Scope and Contents
This series consists of lab notebooks that were used to record data at the UCSD Radiocarbon Lab. This series contains five
sub-series that include counting books, electrolysis data, ethane, miscellaneous lab notebooks and tritium.
Series Arrangement
The sub-series that make up the Lab Notebooks series are arranged in alphabetical order.
- Sub-series 1. Counting books, 1962-1983
- Sub-series 2: Electrolysis data, 1961-1979
- Sub-series 3: Ethane, 1961-1963
- Sub-series 4. Miscellaneous lab notebooks, 1957-1984 & undated
- Sub-series 5: Tritium, 1964-1977
Box 1, Box 2, Box 3
Sub-Series 1: Counting books
1962-1983
Description of Materials: This series contains 9 miscellaneous counting books (1966-1983), 28 notebooks labeled "Lab and Counting Books" (1962-1966),
19 notebooks labeled "H3 Lab Counting Books" (1967-1972)and 4 notebooks labeled "Tritium Counting" (1963-1976).
Scope and Contents
This sub-series contains counting books. The bulk of the series consists of counting books labeled "Lab and Counting Books"
and "H3 Lab Counting Books." The sub-series also contains Tritium counting books and miscellaneous counting books labeled
according to the type of counters that were used, including "1.0 liter counter," "4 Pi counter," "New 350 cc copper counter"
and "Quartz counter."
Arrangement
This sub-series is arranged in alphabetical order beginning with miscellaneous counting books, followed by "Lab and Counting
Books," "H3 Lab Counting Books" and finally "Tritium Counting" books.
Box 4
Sub-Series 2: Electrolysis data
1961-1979
Scope and Contents
This sub-series contains 9 lab notebooks that are labeled "Electrolysis Data."
Arrangement
The items in this sub-series are arranged according to their alpha-numeric label, beginning with A1 and ending with X.
Box 4
Sub-Series 3: Ethane
1961-1963
Scope and Contents
This sub-series contains 7 lab notebooks labeled "Ethane."
Arrangement
The items in this sub-series are arranged in numerical order, from I-VII.
Box 4
Sub-Series 4: Miscellaneous lab notebooks
1957-1984
Scope and Contents
This sub-series consists of 11 lab notebooks that record information pertaining to a variety of topics including distillation,
electronics, enrichment, sample descriptions and other subjects.
Arrangement
The items in this sub-series are arranged in alphabetical order.
Box 5
Sub-Series 5: Tritium
1964-1977
Scope and Contents
This sub-series consists of 7 lab notebooks that are labeld "Tritium."
Arrangement
Items in this sub-series are arranged in alpha-numerical order from I to LII.
