Learn R Programming

rice

Radiocarbon Calibration Equations

Radiocarbon is widely used for dating a range of archaeological and geographical objects. This package provides a number of functions to calibrate radiocarbon dates, including ones to transfer values between different realms (F14, D14C, pMC, C14 ages), to simulate the impacts of contamination, and to plot one or more calibrated dates.

Please check out the vignettes folder for a tutorial. In short, install the package from github, load it and run the two main functions:

require(remotes)
install_github("Maarten14C/rice")
library(rice)
calibrate(2450,20)
contaminate(55000, 100, .05, 1)
draw.contamination()

Installation

To use high-resolution maps, install the rnaturalearthhires package from GitHub (also install remotes if you haven't already):

install.packages("remotes")
remotes::install_github("ropensci/rnaturalearthhires")

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Version

Install

install.packages('rice')

Monthly Downloads

888

Version

1.3.0

License

GPL (>= 2)

Maintainer

Maarten Blaauw

Last Published

July 24th, 2025

Functions in rice (1.3.0)

Transform D14C into pMC

Transform D14C into F14C

Calculate F14C values from C14 ages

Transform D14C into C14 age

Find the calBP age(s) crossing a C14 age.

Calculate C14 ages from F14C values.

Find the pMC and error belonging to a b2k age.

To be deprecated. Calculate C14 ages from F14C values.

Find the 14C age and error belonging to a b2k age.

To be deprecated. Use C14.F14C instead

adjust.fractionation

Adjust a radiocarbon age for fractionation

Calculate C14 ages from F14C values.

adjust.background

Adjust a radiocarbon age for background measurements

calculate BC/AD ages from cal BP ages

Find the pMC and error belonging to a b2k age.

Calculate pMC values from C14 ages

Find the F14C and error belonging to a cal BP age.

calculate b2k ages from cal BP ages

To be deprecated. Use C14topMC instead.

calculate cal BP ages from b2k ages

Find the F14C and error belonging to a b2k age.

Combine multiple radiocarbon dates within bins

calculate BC/AD ages from b2k ages

Combine multiple radiocarbon dates assuming they belong to the same single year

Find the pMC and error belonging to a cal BP age.

Find the 14C age and error belonging to a cal BP age.

Find the pMC and error belonging to a cal BP age.

Calculate calibrated distribution

coverage of one distribution by another

draw.contamination

Draw contamination impacts

Comparison dates calibrated using both the t distribution (Christen and Perez 2009) and the normal distribution.

Plot individual calibrated dates.

Draw d14C and the calibration curve.

Draw a calibration curve.

Simulate the impact of contamination on a radiocarbon age

Simulate removing contamination from a radiocarbon age

add calibrated distributions to a plot.

Draw the asymmetric relationship between 14C and F14C

Find the calibrated probability of a calendar age for a 14C date.

Calculate the amount of muck/contamination to explain an observed C14 age

Find nearby shell-derived dR values

Calculate highest posterior density

Find the probability of a calibrated date being older than a certain age

translate between realms

Amount of C14 particles in a sample

Estimate a missing radiocarbon age from fractions

Probability of a date lying within a cal BP range

Calculate C14 ages from pMC values.

Transform F14C into D14C

Add a gamma distribution to a calibrated date

Calculate pMC ages from F14C values.

Add a normal distribution to a calibrated date

To be deprecated. Use pMCtoC14 instead.

Check whether hpds of two distributions overlap

The overlap between calibrated C14 dates

point.estimates

Calculate a point estimate

Plot regional shell-derived dR values

Plot and summarize the dR values

The spread among calibrated dates

return a random calendar age from a calibrated distribution

Calculate the weighted mean of C14 ages

Test if a set of radiocarbon dates can be combined

rice: Radiocarbon Equations

Radiocarbon Equations

Smooth a calibration curve

The time span between two calibrated dates

Find the probability of a calibrated date being of a certain age or younger than it

Find the 14C age and error belonging to a BC/AD age.

Find the pMC and error belonging to a cal BP age.

Find the F14C and error belonging to a BC/AD age.

Find the b2k age(s) crossing a C14 age.

Calculate F14C values from C14 ages

calculate b2k from BC/AD ages

Find the BCAD age(s) crossing a C14 age.

Transform C14 age(s) into D14C

calculate cal BP ages from BC/AD ages

Find the pMC and error belonging to a BC/AD age.

Transform F14C into D14C

Calculate pMC ages from F14C values.