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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 timescales (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

1,249

Version

1.4.0

License

GPL (>= 2)

Maintainer

Maarten Blaauw

Last Published

September 6th, 2025

Functions in rice (1.4.0)

To be deprecated. Use C14.F14C instead

Calculate C14 ages from F14C values.

Find the pMC and error belonging to a b2k age.

calculate cal BC/AD ages from cal BP ages

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

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

Transform Delta14C into pMC

calculate cal BC/AD ages from b2k ages

Find the Delta14C and error belonging to a b2k age.

Find the F14C and error belonging to a b2k age.

calculate cal BP ages from b2k ages

Transform Delta14C into F14C

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

calculate b2k ages from cal BP ages

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

calBPtoDelta14C

Find the Delta14C and error belonging to a cal BP age.

To be deprecated. Use C14topMC instead.

adjust.background

Adjust a radiocarbon age for background measurements

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

Combine multiple radiocarbon dates within bins

Plot individual calibrated dates.

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

Draw Delta14C and the calibration curve.

Draw a calibration curve.

coverage of one distribution by another

Draw the asymmetric relationship between 14C and F14C

Calculate highest posterior density

Simulate removing contamination from a radiocarbon age

Simulate the impact of contamination on a radiocarbon age

Check whether hpds of two distributions overlap

add calibrated distributions to a plot.

Calculate calibrated distribution

Plot regional shell-derived dR values

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

translate between timescales

draw.contamination

Draw contamination impacts

Amount of C14 particles in a sample

Add a normal distribution to a calibrated date

Probability of a date lying within a cal BP range

Add a gamma distribution to a calibrated date

The overlap between calibrated C14 dates

point.estimates

Calculate a point estimate

Test if a set of radiocarbon dates can be combined

Find nearby shell-derived dR values

Estimate a missing radiocarbon age from fractions

Calculate C14 ages from pMC values.

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

Radiocarbon Equations

To be deprecated. Use pMCtoC14 instead.

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

Calculate pMC ages from F14C values.

Transform pMC into Delta14C

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

Calculate the weighted mean of C14 ages

The spread among calibrated dates

Plot and summarize the dR values

return a random calendar age from a calibrated distribution

The time span between two calibrated dates

Smooth a calibration curve

rice: Radiocarbon Equations

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

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

Transform C14 age(s) into Delta14C

Find the Delta14C and error belonging to a cal BC/AD age.

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

Calculate F14C values from C14 ages

calculate b2k from cal BC/AD ages

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

calculate cal BP ages from cal BC/AD ages

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

Transform Delta14C into C14 age

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

Calculate F14C values from C14 ages

Transform F14C into Delta14C

Calculate pMC ages from F14C values.

Calculate pMC values from C14 ages

adjust.fractionation

Adjust a radiocarbon age for fractionation

Calculate C14 ages from F14C values.

To be deprecated. Calculate C14 ages from F14C values.