Australia's oldest human remains:: age of the Lake Mungo 3 skeleton

被引:191
作者
Thorne, A
Grün, R
Mortimer, G
Spooner, NA
Simpson, JJ
McCulloch, M
Taylor, L
Curnoe, D
机构
[1] Australian Natl Univ, Res Sch Pacific & Asian Studies, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
[2] Australian Natl Univ, Res Sch Earth Sci, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
[3] Univ Guelph, Dept Phys, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
关键词
Lake Mungo 3; ESR; U-series; OSL dating;
D O I
10.1006/jhev.1999.0305
中图分类号
Q98 [人类学];
学科分类号
030303 ;
摘要
We have carried out a comprehensive ESR and U-series dating study on the Lake Mungo 3 (LM3) human skeleton. The isotopic Th/U and Pa/U ratios indicate that some minor uranium mobilization may have occurred in the past. Taking such effects into account, the best age estimate for the human skeleton is obtained through the combination of U-series and ESR analyses yielding 62,000 +/- 6000 years. This age is in close agreement with OSL age estimates on the sediment into which the skeleton was buried of 61,000 +/- 2000 years. Furthermore, we obtained a U-series age of 81,000 +/- 21,000 years for the calcitic matrix that was precipitated on the bones after burial. All age results are considerably older than the previously assumed age of LM3 and demonstrate the necessity for directly dating hominid remains. We conclude that the Lake Mungo 3 burial documents the earliest known human presence on the Australian continent. The age implies that people who were skeletally within the range of the present Australian indigenous population colonized the continent during or before oxygen isotope stage 4 (57,000-71,000 years). (C) 1999 Academic Press.
引用
收藏
页码:591 / 612
页数:22
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