Dating of carbonate covering cave paintings at peruaçu, Brazil by TL and EPR methods

Shigueo Watanabe; Nilo F Cano; Alvaro B Carvalho-Júnior; Jorge S Ayala-Arenas; Carlos D Gonzales-Lorenzo; T K Gundu Rao

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2019.108847

Dating of carbonate covering cave paintings at peruaçu, Brazil by TL and EPR methods

Appl Radiat Isot. 2019 Nov:153:108847. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2019.108847. Epub 2019 Aug 8.

Authors

Shigueo Watanabe¹, Nilo F Cano², Alvaro B Carvalho-Júnior³, Jorge S Ayala-Arenas⁴, Carlos D Gonzales-Lorenzo⁵, T K Gundu Rao⁵

Affiliations

¹ Instituto de Física, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, Travessa R, 187, CEP 05508-090, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Electronic address: watanabe@if.usp.br.
² Instituto do Mar, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua. Doutor Carvalho de Mendonça, 144, CEP 11070-100, Santos, SP, Brazil. Electronic address: nilocano@if.usp.br.
³ Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros, Av. Doutor Ruy Braga, S/N, CEP 39401-089, Montes Claros, MG, Brazil.
⁴ Escuela Profesional de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Formales, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa (UNSA), Av. Independencia S/N, Arequipa, Peru. Electronic address: jayala@unsa.edu.pe.
⁵ Instituto de Física, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua do Matão, Travessa R, 187, CEP 05508-090, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.

PMID: 31536934
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2019.108847

Abstract

In the present work, carbonate samples covering wall painting of four points in the same site found at Peruaçu National Park in the extreme northwest of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, has been investigated and dated by thermoluminescence (TL) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) techniques. The EPR spectrum of the carbonate samples presented the typical six signals due to Mn²⁺ ion and signals around g~2.0 due to SO₂^- and CO₂^-. The thermal stability and dose response of the EPR signals were found to be suitable for an age determination using the center due to CO₂^-. The carbonate sample exhibits TL peaks at approximately 350 °C. TL and EPR dating of the carbonate samples that covered the cave paintings gave an age of 33.13 to 48.40 ka. This series of dating data indicate that in the region about 220-250 km from the coast and extending from the State of Piaui, Bahia to Minas Gerais people lived around 50000 years ago.

Keywords: Calcite; Dating; EPR; First settlers; TL.