DEVELOPMENT OF AN AMINO ACID RACEMIZATION DATABASE FOR COASTAL PLAIN SITES

An extensive collection of unpublished and published AAR, radiometric and taphonomic characteristic data for mollusk samples from coastal North and South Carolina have been arranged into a relational database. Organizing over two decades of regional AAR data is particularly important for ongoing chronostratigraphic studies of coastal North Carolina, where active study of an extensive Quaternary sequence is underway as part of the NCGS-USGS cooperative. Analyses of this large integrated dataset should improve understanding of the stratigraphy and help to refine current chronostratigraphic estimates for the region. Furthermore, it will build on efforts to hone the accuracy and applicability of the AAR method as a chronological tool by integrating numerous analyses over a thoroughly studied region such as the North Carolina coastal plain. A relational database design allows for integrated querying of multiple parameter datasets and is utilized by available software technology such as Microsoft® Access and several popular GIS platforms. Future endeavors such as web accessibility of the database and possible incorporation into a larger data repository are assisted with proper design early on. In addition, a user-friendly database interface has been developed for continued chromatographic data collection for an active AAR laboratory.