About Us

Marvin Rowe

Marvin Rowe
OAS Research Associate and head of the OAS' Low Energy Plasma Radiocarbon Sampling Laboratory
marvinrowe@gmail.com

Dr. Marvin Rowe is the head of the Office of Archaeological Studies' Low Energy Plasma Radiocarbon Sampling Laboratory. The aim of the Laboratory is to produce and extract carbon dioxide gas (CO2) using a plasma oxidation technique Marvin developed while working at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. The idea was germinated by a Texas A&M University archaeology professor asking Rowe’s group to radiocarbon date a rock painting sample. Having recently come across a chemically reducing hydrogen plasma technique for restoring metal artifacts, Dr. Rowe thought an analogous technique could be used to oxidize organic carbon remaining from vehicle/binder materials in the rock art using oxygen plasmas. After several incarnations of plasma machines, the most elaborate system developed so far is located at the Center for New Mexico Archaeology facilities.