Implications of multi-modal age distributions in Pleistocene cave deposits: A case study of Maludong palaeoathropological locality, southern China. (June 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Curnoe, Darren; Zhao, Jian-xin; Aubert, Maxime; Fan, Mian; Wu, Yun; Baker, Andy; Mei, Goh Hsiao; Sun, Xue-feng; Mendoza, Raynold; Adler, Lewis; Ma, Shiwu; Kinsey, Les; Ji, Xueping
• Is Part Of: Journal of archaeological science. Volume 25(2019)
• Page Start: 388
• Page End: 399
• Publication Date: 2019-06
• Subjects: East Asia -- Pleistocene -- Caves -- Uranium-series dating -- Reworking; Archaeology -- Periodicals; Archaeology -- Research -- Periodicals; 930.1
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2019.04.020
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2352-409X

Abstract

Abstract: The occurrence of multi-modal ages for inclusions contained within cave sediments is probably far more widespread and problematic than has been appreciated by archaeologists until now. This phenomenon is likely to be a relatively common situation in caves especially in tropical/sub-tropical areas like southern China where karstification and sedimentation would have been rapid within a context of active hydrological regimes over protracted periods during the Pleistocene. The availability of various cost-effective dating techniques applicable to both Pleistocene cave sediments and a range of sedimentary inclusions means that archaeologists are now better placed to understand this phenomenon than ever before. Here we describe the results of Uranium-series dating of a randomly selected sample of deer bones and teeth from Maludong in southern China which demonstrate the existence of disparate multi-modal ages among sedimentary inclusions at the site. These results have implications for previous reconstructions of the palaeoenvironment of the site as well as for interpretations of the possible significance of enigmatic hominin remains from Maludong for understanding the late phases of human evolutionary history in the region. We conclude that the complexities of reconstructing sedimentary history and allied challenges of dating sedimentary inclusions in caves require urgent and serious attention by archaeologists especially in light of the growing international attention being paid to later Middle and Late Pleistocene sites in tropical East Asia. Highlights: The occurrence of multi-modal ages for inclusions within cave sediments is likely to be a widespread and underappreciated. Multi-dating strategies of materials from Pleistocene archaeological sites can help assess the extent of this issue. We compared AMS 14 C ages for charcoal with Uranium-series dates of deer bones and enamel from Maludong palaeoanthropological site in southern China. A major offset in age between is apparent between Middle Pleistocene fossils excavated from Late Pleistocene sediments which include in situ evidence for human occupation. Our results are grounds for caution in developing and testing interpretations with far reaching implications for reconstructing human evolution in East Asia.