Dendrochronological and radiocarbon dating of subfossil wood from the Morava River basin

The paper deals with dendrochronological and radiocarbon dating of subfossil trunks found in the basin of the Morava River. The research into subfossil trunks had been conducted in the Czech Republic in the past but the research stopped in 2001. 160 records of measurements of subfossil, predominantly oak trunk samples, are preserved from that time. Three years ago the research was reopened and again the most trunks were found in the basin of the Morava River. 92 samples of oak trunks and 7 samples of other tree species (poplar, elm, maple, beech) were taken from selected sites. The samples were processed in compliance with the standard dendrochronological methodology. To date the samples, Czech, Austrian, Polish and German standard chronologies were used. In cases when the dendrochronological dating was unsuccessful, the samples were sent for radiocarbon dating. In total, 35 samples were dated, mainly by the radiocarbon method. Subfossil trunks from gravel pit Tovačov were dated and classified into 4 different periods, the oldest being from 2780–2190 BC. In Osek nad Bečvou, the samples were taken from two sites. Whereas from the 4 trunks taken in the river channel each was from a different period, the trunks from the gravel pit come from 981–1015 AD. The trunks found in the Morava River basin near Strážnice were dated to the 10th–15th century. In the future, we expect to extend the amount of the acquired samples with the aim to create a link to the existing standard chronology or to create a long floating average treering curve.