Advances and limitations in establishing a contiguous high-resolution atmospheric radiocarbon record derived from subfossil kauri tree rings for the interval 60–27 cal kyr BP

Radiocarbon dating is the most widely applied and reliable dating technique for providing chronological control during Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS3; ∼60–27 cal kyr BP). Past variations in the atmospheric concentration of radiocarbon mean a calibration curve is required. IntCal20 and SHCal20 calibration curves covering MIS3 are presently largely based on non-atmospheric records which, in combination with larger radiocarbon (¹⁴C) dating uncertainties, results in significant smoothing and reduced resolution in calibration curve structure. Floating tree ring radiocarbon chronologies that are wiggle-matched to other palaeo records (particularly to Hulu Cave speleothems) have the potential to provide detailed structure to the MIS3 portion of extant calibration curves. New Zealand subfossil kauri (Agathis australis) trees are long-lived and are useful for constructing temporally-floating MIS3 atmospheric radiocarbon datasets. This paper presents extant and emerging data from several important Northland subfossil kauri locations (Omaha, Babylon Coast, Bream Bay, Kai Iwi Lakes, Mangawhai). We show the span of seven floating MIS3 kauri sequences (individual trees and chronologies) from which sequential radiocarbon series covering a total of 7556 years is now in development (representing 23% of the period 60–27 cal kyr BP). We also report radiocarbon dates for an additional 34 ancient kauri from MIS3 that can provide additional coverage. After these floating subfossil wood sequences have been produced, close to 40% of MIS3 (12,420 years) will be covered by contiguous subfossil kauri radiocarbon measurements. Based on our findings, we discuss the prospects and limitations for obtaining a highly resolved and precise atmospheric radiocarbon calibration curve comprehensively covering MIS3 using subfossil kauri.     

Applying a Bayesian approach for refining the chronostratigraphy of the Yumidong site in the Three Gorges region,central China

Yumidong (Corn Cave) is a newly discovered Paleolithic site in the Three Gorges region of central China. Numerous Paleolithic artifacts have been excavated from the sedimentary deposits of the cave in association with faunal remains attributed to the Middle-Late Pleistocene Ailuropoda-Stegodon fauna of southern China. To establish the chronology of the sedimentary sequence (>5 m thick), ¹⁴C dating was applied to bone and charcoal samples (n = 6); the U-series method was used to date in situ precipitated speleothems (n = 12), transported speleothem samples (n = 6) and 18 subsamples of a fossil tooth; and the coupled ESR/U-series method was used to date fossil teeth (n = 6). The derived dates were combined using a hierarchical Bayesian approach to generate a unified chronostratigraphy for the Yumidong sequence. In our Bayesian analyses, the ¹⁴C and coupled ESR/U-series dates were considered to provide direct age estimates for the target layers, while the U-series dates of the in situ precipitated speleothems and fossil tooth were used as minimum age constraints and those of the transported speleothem fragments as maximum age constraints. The Bayesian analyses provided robust time intervals for the archeological layers: L2-Upper (14–23 ka), L2-Lower (27–63 ka), L3 (106–171 ka), L4 (140–192 ka), L10 (157–229 ka), L11 (181–256 ka), and L12 (214–274 ka) with a probability of 95%, allowing the establishment of a ∼300 ka long geological and archeological history for the Yumidong site and placing it as a reference site for Paleolithic cultural evolution in the Three Gorges region from the late Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene.     

Examining sediment infill dynamics at Naracoorte cave megafauna sites using multiple luminescence dating signals

Relatively little is known about the long-term sediment accumulation dynamics of Naracoorte Cave Complex (NCC) solution pipe cavities, and many of the megafauna-bearing infill deposits at this globally significant Australian Pleistocene fossil locality remain partially dated or lack any numerical age control. In this study, we assess the suitability of three different luminescence dating signals for improving existing chronologies at six Late and Middle Pleistocene NCC sites (n = 22 samples), and we undertake multi-site examinations of NCC sediment infill dynamics spanning the last 550 thousand years (ka). Modern analogue samples collected from above and beneath two active cave entrances confirm that single-grain OSL, single-grain TT-OSL and multi-grain pIR-IRSL signals can be reset down to insignificant residual levels (<10⁻¹–10⁰ Gy) when compared with the natural dose ranges of interest for most NCC palaeontological applications. Replicate luminescence dating comparisons performed at six NCC fossil sites (n = 15 samples) reveal consistent ages for twenty-eight out of thirty-one paired OSL–TT-OSL, OSL–pIR-IRSL and TT-OSL–pIR-IRSL datasets. Nineteen of the twenty Middle to Late Pleistocene samples analysed from the NCC sites produce homogeneous OSL, TT-OSL and pIR-IRSL D_e datasets suggesting that the NCC solution pipe deposits considered here are generally not affected by syn-depositional mixing complications that can take place within closed karst cavities (i.e., the remobilisation of unbleached grains from pre-existing cave floor sediments, and their subsequent translocation and incorporation into deposits within deeper parts of the cavity along with externally bleached, allochthonous grain populations). Detailed examination of solution pipe dynamics at Smoke Tortoise Cave (SMT) reveals a complex accumulation history focused on the marine isotope stage (MIS) 9 and MIS 7 interglacial complexes, as well as the MIS 8e interstadial. The SMT case study highlights that NCC solution pipes are not simply associated with short-lived opening and sediment accumulation events, but may involve multiple, discontinuous deposition episodes and reactivation events. An initial multi-site examination of all published NCC infill chronologies (n = 70) appears to suggest statistically significant, preferential solution pipe development during the relatively wet parts of interglacial or interstadial cycles. The non-uniform infill age distribution implies that NCC solution pipe dynamics may have exerted taphonomic biases on fossil accumulation, which should be taken into consideration when reconstructing long-term palaeoecological histories from NCC solution pipe cavities.     

Testing the ABOx-SC method: Dating known-age charcoals associated with the Campanian Ignimbrite

Over the past decade several studies have shown the improvements to radiocarbon chronologies that arise when Acid Base Oxidation-Stepped Combustion (ABOx-SC, Bird et al., 1999) pretreatment methods are applied to the dating of charcoal thought to be >30 ka BP. However, few studies have examined whether the use of ABOx-SC produces dates that are not only older, but accurate on known-age charcoal samples that could not be decontaminated using the routine Acid–Base–Acid (ABA) pretreatment protocol. In this study we date 9 charcoal fragments found below the Campanian Ignimbrite (CI) tephra layer, dated by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar to 39,230 ± 45 years (De Vivo et al., 2001, Rolandi et al., 2003), from three Palaeolithic sites. When treated with the ABOx-SC pretreatment protocol, the radiocarbon dates provide an accurate terminus post quem for the CI. In contrast, the ABA protocol consistently underestimates the age of the tephra. These results serve as a warning against the use of consistency as an indicator for reliability, demonstrate that the routine ABA method is not sufficient to decontaminate charcoal samples from sites of Palaeolithic age, and show that ABOx-SC produces not only older, but accurate age estimates.     

Magnetostratigraphy of Plio–Pleistocene fossiliferous cave sediments in the Bubing Basin,southern China

Our understanding of the chronological sequence of Pleistocene land mammal faunas (including hominids) preserved in caves and fissures in the karstic terrain of subtropical southern China has been greatly impeded by the discontinuous nature of the strata yielding the fossils. A contributory issue is the lack of suitable elements for numerical dating, especially for the Early Pleistocene cave sediments. Here we present new magnetostratigraphic dating results for five cave sedimentary sequences in the Bubing Basin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which contain the typical Pleistocene Gigantopithecus fauna and Ailuropoda–Stegodon fauna of southern China. The five karstic caves are situated at elevations ranging from 252 m to 191 m above sea level. The integrated dating results reveal that the five cave sedimentary sequences span an age range from the late Gauss normal Chron to the early Brunhes normal Chron. The faunas are assigned to >2.6 Ma (Mohui–houshan Cave), 1.95–1.78 Ma (Mohui Cave), 0.99–0.78 Ma (Baolai Cave) and ∼0.7 Ma (Upper Wuyun and Ganxian Caves). Furthermore, by combining our new magnetostratigraphy work with previously published magnetostratigraphic, U–series and electron spin resonance dating results, a chronological sequence of the Plio–Pleistocene mammalian faunas from cave sites in southern China has been established. The chronological sequence contributes to an improved understanding of the evolutionary processes of Plio–Pleistocene land mammals, as well as of early humans in subtropical southern China.     

OSL dating of loess deposits bracketing Sheep Creek tephra beds,northwest Canada: Dim and problematic single-grain OSL characteristics and their effect on multi-grain age estimates

Geochemically-fingerprinted tephra beds provide unique chronostratigraphic markers for comparing Quaternary sedimentary records across eastern Beringia (Alaska and Yukon Territory). Establishing reliable numerical age control on these tephra horizons enables them to be placed within firm temporal frameworks and increases their potential as correlative tools for regional palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. To this end we present new single-grain and multi-grain quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) chronologies for loess deposits bracketing three well-documented and regionally significant variants of the Sheep Creek tephra (SCt) at two sites in west-central Yukon Territory (Ash Bend and Quartz Creek). Single-grain OSL ages bracketing the SCt-A and SCt-K reveal that these tephras were deposited during late Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5 or early MIS 4. The SCt-C variant and associated organic-rich bed at Ash Bend were likely deposited during late MIS 5, based on a single-grain OSL age of ∼81 ka for the overlying sediments. The single-grain OSL ages obtained for these deposits are in stratigraphic order and in broad agreement with a fission track age estimate of ∼77 ka for the SCt-K. In contrast, comparative chronologies obtained using multi-grain aliquots are stratigraphically inconsistent and unexpectedly young when compared with the independent SCt-K age. Detailed examination of the single-grain OSL datasets reveal a range of unfavourable luminescent properties that could have contributed to the multi-grain aliquot age discrepancies; including, very low yields of luminescent grains, weak OSL signal sensitivities and large populations of aberrant grains (particularly 0 Gy grains and ‘dim’ grains with a tendency to sensitise during the equivalent dose (D_e) measurement sequence) that have similarly sized OSL signals as grains used for D_e analysis. Synthetic aliquot D_e datasets constructed from single-grain OSL measurements reveal that the large proportional light sum contributions of 0 Gy and dim grains could possibly account for multi-grain age underestimations in some of the Ash Bend samples. In light of these potentially problematic averaging effects, we do not consider the multi-grain OSL ages to be reliable and suggest that single-grain approaches may be preferable for dating sediments with similar quartz luminescence behaviours across this region.     

TL age-estimates for the Middle Palaeolithic layers at Theopetra cave (Greece)

The lowest stratigraphic unit of Theopetra cave (Greece) contains a Middle Palaeolithic sequence radiocarbon dated to between 46 and 35 ka BP; at the limit of this dating method. The upper part of this sequence has yielded late Middle Palaeolithic lithic assemblages containing several early Upper Palaeolithic artifacts. To get more precise dates for the human occupation of the cave, burnt flint specimens from these Middle Palaeolithic layers were dated by thermoluminescence. The dates obtained are coherent and indicate that the first human occupation of the cave took place at the end of isotopic stage 6 or more probably at the beginning of stage 5, much earlier than previously proposed. In the light of this new evidence, it is reasonable to assume that: (a) Theopetra contains the oldest dated Middle Palaeolithic deposits of Greece and (b) that the assemblages first interpreted as “Transitional Middle/Upper Palaeolithic” industries may be the result of post-depositional mixing of cultural material.     

Holocene moist period recorded by the chronostratigraphy of a lake sedimentary sequence from Lake Tangra Yumco on the south Tibetan Plateau

Palaeolimnological studies together with geomorphological investigations of exposed lacustrine sections on the Tibetan Plateau provided valuable palaeoclimate records. Radiocarbon dating is the most commonly used method for establishing chronologies of lake sediments. However, ¹⁴C dating of such sediments could be problematic due to the lack of organic matter or a reservoir effect, which commonly appears in radiocarbon ages of lacustrine sediments from the Tibetan Plateau. OSL dating is an alternative for dating the lake sediments and also provides the opportunity to independently test radiocarbon chronologies. The current study tries to compare OSL and ¹⁴C dating results in order to evaluate the reservoir effect of ¹⁴C dating, and then based on quartz OSL dating and stratigraphic analysis, to construct the chronostratigraphy of a lacustrine sedimentary sequence (TYC section), an offshore profile from Tangra Yumco lake on the southern Tibetan Plateau. Results suggest that: (1) it is possible to obtain robust OSL age estimates for these lake sediments and the OSL ages of the three samples range from ca. 7.6 ka to ca. 2.3 ka; (2) The discrepancy between the OSL and ¹⁴C ages is ca. 4–5 ka, which possibly results from the age overestimate of ¹⁴C dating due to a reservoir effect in the studied lake; (3) the chronostratigraphy of TYC section and sedimentological environmental analysis show a large lake with a lake level distinctively above the present during ca. 7.6–2.7 ka indicating a wet mid-Holocene in the study area.     

AMS radiocarbon dating of pollen concentrates in a karstic lake system

In lake sediments where terrestrial macrofossils are rare or absent, AMS radiocarbon dating of pollen concentrates may represent an important alternative solution for developing a robust and high resolution chronology suitable for Bayesian modelling of age-depth relationships. Here we report an application of the heavy liquid density separation approach (Vandergoes and Prior, Radiocarbon 45:479–492, 2003) to Holocene lake sediments from karstic Lake Sidi Ali, Morocco. In common with many karstic lakes, a significant lake ¹⁴C reservoir effect of 450–900 yr is apparent, evidenced by paired dates on terrestrial macrofossils and either aquatic (ostracod) or bulk sediment samples. AMS dating of 23 pollen concentrates alongside laboratory standards (bituminous coal, anthracite, IAEA C5 wood) was undertaken. Concentrates were prepared using a series of sodium polytungstate (SPT) solutions of progressively decreasing density (1.9–1.15 g/cm³) accompanied by microscopic analysis of the resulting residues to allow quantification of the terrestrial pollen content. The best fractions (typically precipitating at 1.4–1.2 g/cm³) yielded dateable samples of 0.5–5 mg (from sediment samples of ∼15 g), with C content typically ∼50% by weight. Terrestrial pollen purity ranges from 29% to 88% (μ = 67%), reflecting the challenge of isolating pollen grains from common aquatic algae, e.g. Pediastrum and Botryococcus. A Poisson-process Bayesian depositional model incorporating radiocarbon (pollen and macrofossil) and ²¹⁰Pb/¹³⁷Cs data is employed. As all pollen samples incorporate some non-terrestrial organic matter, we assume an exponential outlier distribution treating each pollen concentrate datum as an old outlier and terminus post quem. This approach yields strong data-model agreement, and differences between the prior and posterior age distributions are furthermore consistent with theoretical offsets anticipated for the known reservoir ages and sample-specific terrestrial content. This application of the pollen concentrate dating approach reinforces the importance of microscopic inspection of the residues during the separation and sieving stages. Sample specific differences mean that the pollen concentrate preparation cannot be reduced to a simplistic “black box” protocol, and dating and subsequent age-model development must be supported by detailed analysis of the microfossil content of the sediments.     

Chronology of the Upper Pleistocene loess sequence of Havrincourt (France) and associated Palaeolithic occupations: A Bayesian approach from pedostratigraphy,OSL, radiocarbon,TL and ESR/U-series data

In connection with the future Seine-North Europe Canal (Seine-Scheldt), a large-scale rescue archaeological survey was conducted at Havrincourt (northern France) between 2008 and 2011. The discovery of several levels of Palaeolithic flint artefacts embedded in a relatively thick loess sequence (ca 6–7 m) preserved on a gentle slope facing North-East, resulted in a 6000 m² excavation. This opened the opportunity for a detailed pedosedimentary and interdisciplinary geochronological survey (¹⁴C, optically stimulated luminescence, thermoluminescence, ESR/U-series) that has allowed us date the sequence reliably. On the basis of these results we propose this sequence as a new pedostratigraphic and archaeological reference sequence for northern France. We present here the optical dating of the sequence performed on fine (4–11 μm) quartz grains extracted from 17 samples. The luminescence characteristics of these extracts indicate that the single-aliquot regenerative dose optically stimulated luminescence (SAR-OSL) procedure that was applied is well suited. A consistent set of optical ages was obtained for the loess deposited up to around 70 ka ago. Independent age control (pedostratigraphy, ¹⁴C, ESR/U-series dates) allowed us to apply a Bayesian approach to build a chronometric model. This in turn enabled a regional chronostratigraphic framework to be built, to constrain the correlations with neighboring regions (northern France and Belgium) and to calculate a precise age for the four Palaeolithic levels discovered, including a unique occupation related to the early Upper Palaeolithic which was previously unknown in the area.     

Reconstructing fluvial incision rates based on palaeo-water tables in chalk karst networks along the Seine valley (Normandy,France)

Quantifying rates of river incision and continental uplift over Quaternary timescales offer the potential for modelling landscape change due to tectonic and climatic forcing. In many areas, river terraces form datable archives that help constrain the timing and rate of valley incision. However, old river terraces, with high-level deposits, are prone to weathering and often lack datable material. Where valleys are incised through karst areas, caves and sediments can be used to reconstruct the landscape evolution because they can record the elevation of palaeo-water tables and contain preserved datable material. In Normandy (N. France), the Seine River is entrenched into an extensive karstic chalk plateau. Previous estimates of valley incision were hampered by the lack of preserved datable fluvial terraces. A stack of abandoned phreatic cave passages preserved in the sides of the Seine valley can be used to reconstruct the landscape evolution of the region. Combining geomorphological observations, palaeomagnetic and U/Th dating of speleothem and sediments in eight caves along the Lower Seine valley, we have constructed a new age model for cave development and valley incision. Six identified cave levels up to ∼100 m a.s.l. were formed during the last ~1 Ma, coeval with the incision of the Seine River. Passage morphologies indicate that the caves formed in a shallow phreatic/epiphreatic setting, modified by sediment influxes. The valley's maximum age is constrained by the occurrence of late Pliocene marine sand. Palaeomagnetic dating of cave infills indicates that the highest-level caves were being infilled prior to 1.1 Ma. The evidence from the studied caves, complemented by fluvial terrace sequences, indicates that rapid river incision occurred during marine isotope stage (MIS) 28 to 20 (0.8–1 Ma), with maximal rates of ~0.30 m ka⁻¹, dropping to ~0.08 m ka⁻¹ between MIS 20–11 (0.8–0.4 Ma) and 0.05 m ka⁻¹ from MIS 5 to the present time. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Improving age-depth models of fluvio-lacustrine deposits using sedimentary proxies for accumulation rates

Lacustrine fills, including those of oxbow lakes in river floodplains, often hold valuable sedimentary and biological proxy records of palaeo-environmental change. Precise dating of accumulated sediments at levels throughout these records is crucial for interpretation and correlation of (proxy) data existing within the fills. Typically, dates are gathered from multiple sampled levels and their results are combined in age-depth models to estimate the ages of events identified between the datings. In this paper, a method of age-depth modelling is presented that varies the vertical accumulation rate of the lake fill based on continuous sedimentary data. In between Bayesian calibrated radiocarbon dates, this produces a modified non-linear age-depth relation based on sedimentology rather than linear or spline interpolation.The method is showcased on a core of an infilled palaeomeander at the floodplain edge of the river Rhine near Rheinberg (Germany). The sequence spans from ∼4.7 to 2.9 ka cal BP and consists of 5.5 m of laminated lacustrine, organo-clastic mud, covered by ∼1 m of peaty clay. Four radiocarbon dates provide direct dating control, mapping and dating in the wider surroundings provide additional control. The laminated, organo-clastic facies of the oxbow fill contains a record of nearby fluvial-geomorphological activity, including meander reconfiguration events and passage of rare large floods, recognized as fluctuations in coarseness and amount of allochthonous clastic sediment input. Continuous along-core sampling and measurement of loss-on-ignition (LOI) provided a fast way of expressing the variation in clastic sedimentation influx from the nearby river versus autochthonous organic deposition derived from biogenic production in the lake itself. This low-cost sedimentary proxy data feeds into the age-depth modelling. The sedimentology-modelled age-depth relation (re)produces the distinct lithological boundaries in the fill as marked changes in sedimentation rate. Especially the organo-clastic muddy facies subdivides in centennial intervals of relative faster and slower accumulation. For such intervals, sedimentation rates are produced that deviate 10–20% from that in simpler stepped linear age-models. For irregularly laminated muddy intervals of the oxbow fill – from which meaningful sampling for radiocarbon dating is more difficult than from peaty or slowly accumulating organic lake sediments – supplementing spotty radiocarbon sampling with continuous sedimentary proxy data creates more realistic age-depth modelling results.     

Evaluating a SAR TT-OSL protocol for dating fine-grained quartz within Late Pleistocene loess deposits in the Missouri and Mississippi river valleys,United States

The Mississippi and Missouri river valleys in the midcontinental United States contain extensive loess-paleosol sequences that are used to constrain the timing of expansion and retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Previous studies have been unsuccessful in producing finite ages for sediments older than ∼150 ka due to saturation of luminescence emissions. The thermally transferred optically stimulated luminescence (TT-OSL) dating technique is tested on the fine-grained (4–11 μm) quartz fraction of these loess deposits because the TT-OSL signal has been shown to grow with high (kGy) radiation doses. The TT-OSL signal continued to increase with radiation dose above 900 Gy. The optical and thermal stabilities of this TT-OSL signal are evaluated. Equivalent dose values are highly sensitive to preheat temperatures. Recycling ratios, zero-dose response values, and dose recovery tests all yield acceptable values for samples with burial doses >∼200 Gy. The apparent TT-OSL ages for the Roxana Silt (∼52–63 ka), Teneriffe Silt (∼66 ka), and Loveland Silt (∼133–192 ka) agree at 1σ level with previously published TL and IRSL ages derived from the same samples. For the oldest unit, the Crowley's Ridge Silt, TT-OSL ages (∼167–200 ka) are younger than IRSL or TL ages by ∼20%. This is interpreted as underestimation related to TT-OSL signal contamination, which can be avoided by isolating the fast component of the TT-OSL. Preliminary fast component TT-OSL ages for the Crowley's Ridge Silt (∼197–241 ka) favor deposition during marine oxygen-isotope stage (MIS) 7 or 8, contrary to a previous inference of a MIS 12 deposition.     

U-series,ESR and 14C studies of the fossil remains from the Mousterian levels of Zafarraya Cave (Spain): A revised chronology of Neandertal presence

Zafarraya Cave is considered a reference site for the last presence of Homo neanderthalensis presence in the south of the Iberian Peninsula. In this paper, accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dates were carried out on charcoals and faunal remains, U–Th dating using either alpha spectrometry or Thermal-Ionization Mass Spectrometry (TIMS) and ESR dating were performed on faunal remains. These analyses were carried out on samples from the Mousterian levels of the site (archaeostratigraphic units UC, UD, UE, UF, UG). The ¹⁴C AMS dates of charcoal samples (n = 11) were scattered and displayed no coherence with the stratigraphy suggesting possible alteration. The delicate charcoal and faunal samples underwent the gentle RR, ZR (ABA) or AG (ABA) pretreatment procedures at ORAU. The RR protocol is currently considered too gentle and the results are considered with caution. Four ZR charcoal pretreatments failed due to the fact that the charcoal samples were altered. Only two charcoals samples subjected to the ZR pretreatment yielded a reliable % C (>60%) (OxA-9001 and OxA-9002, 40,294–42,761 and 38,763–40,604 cal BP). Their ages are consistent with the stratigraphy and are considered to provide the best age estimate for the level bearing the Z2 Neandertal mandible (Unit UE). For the dentine and the bone samples, the ¹⁴C AMS were less dispersed. ¹⁴C analyses failed for four bone samples due to insufficient collagen content. Moreover, the %C is very low for two samples, suggesting alteration of the fossil remains at Zafarraya. Only two other samples with enough %C (>30%) were retained: OxA-8024 and OxA-8999 (Unit UE). The respective ¹⁴C ages range from ∼34 to 39 ka cal BP. The U/Th (TIMS) analyses of enamel samples displayed an extremely low uranium content (< ∼ 0.02–0.04 ppm). Moreover, the U/Th age range of faunal remains is large, thus providing no conclusive results. ESR dating was chosen for this exercise as, in combination with U-series, it can be used to assess U-uptake in open systems. The combined ESR and U/Th (TIMS) age estimates on tooth enamel yielded US-ESR ages between 33 (+3/−4) ka to 43 ± 3 ka (MIS3) for two Equus teeth and one Capra tooth in unit UE, overlapping with the oldest charcoal and bone ¹⁴C dates. The age of the Zafarraya fossil remains was derived from the US-ESR time range of 30–46 ka (MIS 3). We consider this age range to be more representative of the Neandertal occupations at the site than the hitherto widely cited uncalibrated ¹⁴C age of around 30 ka.     

K-feldspar IRSL dating of a Pleistocene river terrace staircase sequence of the Lower Tejo River (Portugal,western Iberia)

We present the results of K-feldspar IRSL dating of the four lower terraces (T3–T6) of the Portuguese Tejo River, in the Arripiado-Chamusca area. Terrace correlation was based upon: a) analysis of aerial photographs, geomorphological mapping and field topographic survey; b) sedimentology of the deposits; and c) luminescence dating. Sediment sampled for luminescence dating gave unusually high dose rates, of between 3.4 and 6.2 Gy/ka and, as a result, quartz OSL was often found to be in saturation. We therefore used the IRSL signal from K-feldspar as the principal luminescence technique. The K-feldspar age results support sometimes complex geomorphic correlations, as fluvial terraces have been vertically displaced by faults (known from previous studies). Integration of these new ages with those obtained previously in the more upstream reaches of the Tejo River in Portugal indicates that the corrected K-feldspar IRSL ages are stratigraphically and geomorphologically consistent over a distance of 120 km along the Tejo valley. However, we are sceptical of the accuracy of the K-feldspar ages of samples from the T3 and T4 terraces (with uncorrected D_e values >500 Gy). In these cases the Dose Rate Correction (DRC) model puts the natural signals close to luminescence saturation, giving a minimum corrected D_e of about 1000 Gy, and thus minimum terrace ages; this may even be true for those doses >200 Gy. Luminescence dating results suggest that: T3 is older than 300 ka, probably ca. 420–360 ka (～Marine Isotope Stage [MIS]11); T4 is ca. 340–150 ka (～MIS9-6); T5 is 136–75 ka (～MIS5); T6 is 60–30 ka (MIS3); an aeolian sand unit that blankets T6 and some of the older terraces is 30–≥12 ka. Collectively, the luminescence ages seem to indicate that regional river downcutting events may be coincident with periods of low sea level (associated, respectively, with the MIS10, MIS6, MIS4 and MIS2).     

A multi-method approach to dating middle and late Quaternary high relative sea-level events on NW Svalbard – A case study

Waxing and waning ice sheets and changing sea levels have been interpreted from the Quaternary stratigraphic record at Leinstranda, Brøggerhalvøya in NW Svalbard. We have identified seven high relative sea-level events, related to glacio-isostatic loading, and separated by at least four glacial events. To establish a chronology for the high sea-level events (interstadials and interglacials) and the intervening glaciations, we have used three different absolute dating methods: optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) of shallow marine deposits, and electron spin resonance (ESR) and radiocarbon (AMS-¹⁴C) dating of fossils contained in these sediments. Of the absolute dating methods, OSL has provided the stratigraphically most consistent dataset and which also matches a biostratigraphically inferred interglacial. The ESR ages of mollusc shells suffer from low precision due to unusually large uranium content in most dated shell samples, which in turn is most likely a result of significant recent uranium enrichment of the sediments. Most radiocarbon ages are non-finite. The results show that the high relative sea-level events range in age from the Saalian sensu lato (≥Marine Isotope Stage, MIS, 6) to the early Holocene (MIS 1), and include events OSL-dated to 185 ± 8 ka, 129 ± 10 ka, 99 ± 8 ka and 36 ± 3 ka. The methods used by us and by previous investigators of the same site are compared and assessed, and sources of error, accuracy and precision of ages are discussed.     

Absolute dating by uranium series disequilibrium of bones from the cave of La Chaise-de-Vouthon (Charente), France

Animal bones, associated with Palaeolithic artefacts and skeletal remains of early hominids from the cave of La Chaise-de-Vouthon, have been dated using a new approach to uranium series dating of bone. Speleothem (cave calcite) interstratified with bone-bearing sediments in the two chambers of Grotte Bourgeois-Delaunay and Grotte Suard have previously been dated by the ²³⁰Th/²³⁴ U method. This provides a chronological control for the bone ages, for which the method is still at an experimental stage. A good agreement is shown in most cases between the calcite and the bone ages, showing the cave to have been a stable environment for the deposition of bone and the acquisition of uranium.     

Improved age modelling and high-precision age estimates of late Quaternary tephras,for accurate palaeoclimate reconstruction

The role of tephrochronology, as a dating and stratigraphic tool, in precise palaeoclimate and environmental reconstruction, has expanded significantly in recent years. The power of tephrochronology rests on the fact that a tephra layer can stratigraphically link records at the resolution of as little as a few years, and that the most precise age for a particular tephra can be imported into any site where it is found. In order to maximise the potential of tephras for this purpose it is necessary to have the most precise and robustly tested age estimate possible available for key tephras. Given the varying number and quality of dates associated with different tephras it is important to be able to build age models to test competing tephra dates. Recent advances in Bayesian age modelling of dates in sequence have radically extended our ability to build such stratigraphic age models. As an example of the potential here we use Bayesian methods, now widely applied, to examine the dating of some key Late Quaternary tephras from Italy. These are: the Agnano Monte Spina Tephra (AMST), the Neapolitan Yellow Tuff (NYT) and the Agnano Pomici Principali (APP), and all of them have multiple estimates of their true age. Further, we use the Bayesian approaches to generate a revised mixed radiocarbon/varve chronology for the important Lateglacial section of the Lago Grande Monticchio record, as a further illustration of what can be achieved by a Bayesian approach. With all three tephras we were able to produce viable model ages for the tephra, validate the proposed ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age ranges for these tephras, and provide relatively high precision age models. The results of the Bayesian integration of dating and stratigraphic information, suggest that the current best 95% confidence calendar age estimates for the AMST are 4690–4300 cal BP, the NYT 14320–13900 cal BP, and the APP 12380–12140 cal BP.     

40Ar/39Ar and ESR/U-series dates for Guado San Nicola,Middle Pleistocene key site at the Lower/Middle Palaeolithic transition in Italy

The Middle Pleistocene archaeological site of Guado San Nicola was discovered in 2005 in a fossil fluvial terrace of the Volturno River, close to the village of Monteroduni, Molise, Italy. Palaeontological remains and lithic artefacts, including both handaxes and Levallois, discoid and opportunistic debitage, were recovered in fluvial and slope sediments rich in volcanoclastic materials. This site includes four distinct human occupation levels. In two of them both “shaping-façonnage” and “knapping-débitage” technologies are highlighted, placing this site at the Lower/Middle Palaeolithic transition.In the present study, geochronological analyses by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar on single-crystal and ESR/U-series on teeth were performed to precise the chronological framework of the occupations. The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar data obtained securely bracket the human occupation levels at the transition between the interglacial and glacial marine isotopic stages MIS 11 (i.e. 400 ± 9 ka) and MIS 10 (i.e. 345 ± 9ka). The weighted mean age obtained from ESR/U-series dating of six teeth (i.e. 364 ± 36 ka) is in very good agreement with the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar results. The radio-isotopic constraints we presented place the Guado San Nicola site as one of the earliest testimonies of Levallois debitage in Western Europe and confirm the potential and accuracy of paleo-dosimetric methods to date Middle Pleistocene sites.     

OSL chronostratigraphy of a loess-palaeosol sequence in Saxony/Germany using quartz of different grain sizes

Luminescence dating is one of the leading techniques to establish chronologies for loess-palaeosol sequences and has been successfully applied to different minerals and grain size fractions. Using optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) from quartz, we present for the first time a high resolution chronology for the loess section Ostrau in Saxony/Germany. We compare OSL ages derived from two different grain size fractions, coarse (90–200 μm) and the fine grain (4–11 μm) separates. Our results show that the loess section is divided into two parts, separated by a hiatus. OSL samples from the upper part of the loess section show equivalent doses of D_e < 100 Gy. D_e values >180 Gy are observed for the lower part of the loess section. The coarse and fine grain ages agree and also fit to the litho- and pedostratigraphy for the upper part of the profile. For the lower part of the profile the coarse grained quartz OSL is in saturation. The fine grained quartz OSL is not saturated but it appears that the fine grain OSL ages underestimate the sedimentation age. Approaches to explain the D_e differences between the grain size fractions are presented (e.g. post-depositional translocation, dosimetry). A modified SAR protocol for the fine grain fraction produced ages that are in good agreement with expected ages based on litho- and pedostratigraphy. Although further investigations are needed, our results show the suitability of the Saxonian loess belt for OSL dating.