Radiocarbon Analysis

The Mendenhall and Herbert glacier termini uniquely have preglacial stumps and detrital logs that have freshly emerged from the retreating glaciers. These pieces of wood may hold information on previous Holocene warm periods. Radiocarbon dating the outermost layer of the trees will reveal when the trees were overrun by the expanding glaciers, and thus the end of the warm period. These dates will then be combined with tree ring samples to determine the duration of the warm period.