Correcting for potential 222Rn loss in 210Pb dating of sediments from the South Adriatic Pit

Measurement of 226Ra activity concentrations is often used to estimate supported levels of 210Pb for purposes of geochronology. However, the implicit assumption that supported 210Pb and 226Ra are in secular radioactive equilibrium may not always be true because of the migration of an intermediate product, gaseous 222Rn. As a consequence, supported 210Pb activity concentration might be lower than the measured 226Ra value, which was the case in a core collected from the South Adriatic Pit. Here we present a new approach to improve the determination of supported 210Pb, which is based on correction of 226Ra activity concentrations using the average (210Pb/226Ra) activity ratio in deeper sediment layers. Using this approach, sedimentation rates for the South Adriatic Pit with a constant rate of supply model and a constant initial concentration model were 0.054 g/cm2/a and 0.070 g/cm2/a, respectively.