U-series dating of Locality 15 at Zhoukoudian, China, and implications for hominid evolution |
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Authors: | Guanjun J Shen Xing Gao Kenneth D Collerson |
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Institution: | a Institute for Coastal and Quaternary Studies, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210097, PR China b Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Academia Sinica, Beijing 100044, PR China c Advanced Centre for Queensland University Isotopic Research Excellence (ACQUIRE), University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia |
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Abstract: | This paper reports U-series dates on speleothem samples from Locality 15 at Zhoukoudian, one of the richest Paleolithic sites in northern China. The age of the lower part of Layer 2 is securely bracketed between 155,000 and 284,000 yr. The underlying Layer 3 dates back at least 284,000 yr. Layer 4, further below, should be older still, possibly by a cycle on the SPECMAP time scale before 284,000 yr ago. These ages, much greater than the previous estimates of 110,000-140,000 yr from U-series and electron spin resonance dating of fossil teeth, suggest that Locality 15 was broadly contemporaneous with Locality 4 (New Cave) and with the uppermost strata of Locality 1 (Peking Man site). The physical evolution and cultural development evidenced by the timing of the Zhoukoudian localities are in line with the opinion of Chinese anthropologists for a regional transition from Homo erectus to archaic Homo sapiens. |
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Keywords: | Locality 15 Zhoukoudian U-series dating Speleothem Paleolithic Human evolution |
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