ESR dating of the Majuangou and Banshan Paleolithic sites in the Nihewan Basin, North China

Chun-Ru Liu; Gong-Ming Yin; Cheng-Long Deng; Fei Han; Wei-Juan Song

doi:10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.05.012

ESR dating of the Majuangou and Banshan Paleolithic sites in the Nihewan Basin, North China

J Hum Evol. 2014 Aug:73:58-63. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.05.012. Epub 2014 Jul 19.

Authors

Chun-Ru Liu¹, Gong-Ming Yin², Cheng-Long Deng³, Fei Han², Wei-Juan Song⁴

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Earthquake Dynamics, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100029, China. Electronic address: liuchunru0821@126.com.
² State Key Laboratory of Earthquake Dynamics, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100029, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Earthquake Dynamics, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100029, China; Schools of the Earth Science and Resource, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China.

PMID: 25053189
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2014.05.012

Abstract

The fluvio-lacustrine sequences in the Nihewan Basin, northern China provide an important source of Paleolithic settlements and therefore early human occupation in the eastern Old World. Here we present electron spin resonance (ESR) chronology for the Majuangou (MJG-III, MJG-II and MJG-I) and Banshan (BS) Paleolithic sites in this basin by the quartz Ti-Li center ESR dating. Results show that the ages of MJG-III and MJG-II could be estimated to be ∼1.70 Ma (millions of years ago); of MJG-I, ∼1.40 Ma; and BS, ∼1.35 Ma. This ESR chronology is consistent with the previous magnetochronology, thus providing strong support for the earliest human presence at the high northern latitudes of Northeast Asia.

Keywords: Early human occupation; Northeast Asia; Northern latitudes.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Archaeology*
China
Chronology as Topic*
Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy
Hominidae*