Early human occupation at Devil’s Lair, southwestern Australia 50, 000 years ago

Chris S.M. Turney; Michael I. Bird; L. Keith Fifield; Richard G. Roberts; Mike Smith; Charles E. Dortch; Rainer Grün; Ewan Lawson; Linda K. Ayliffe; Gifford H. Miller; Joe Dortch; Richard G. Cresswell

doi:10.1006/qres.2000.2195

Early human occupation at Devil’s Lair, southwestern Australia 50, 000 years ago

Chris S.M. Turney, Michael I. Bird, L. Keith Fifield, Richard G. Roberts, Mike Smith, Charles E. Dortch, Rainer Grün, Ewan Lawson, Linda K. Ayliffe, Gifford H. Miller, Joe Dortch, Richard G. Cresswell

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

243 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

New dating confirms that people occupied the Australian continent before the earliest time inferred from conventional radiocarbon analysis. Many of the new ages were obtained by accelerator mass spectrometry ¹⁴C dating after an acid-base-acid pretreatment with bulk combustion (ABA-BC) or after a newly developed acid-base-wet oxidation pretreatment with stepped combustion (ABOX-SC). The samples (charcoal) came from the earliest occupation levels of the Devil's Lair site in southwestern Western Australia. Initial occupation of this site was previously dated 35, 000 ¹⁴C yr B.P. Whereas the ABA-BC ages are indistinguishable from background beyond 42, 000 ¹⁴C yr B.P., the ABOX-SC ages are in stratigraphic order to ~55, 000 ¹⁴C yr B.P. The ABOX-SC chronology suggests that people were in the area by 48, 000 cal yr B.P. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), electron spin resonance (ESR) ages, U-series dating of flowstones, and ¹⁴C dating of emu eggshell carbonate are in agreement with the ABOX-SC ¹⁴C chronology. These results, based on four independent techniques, reinforce arguments for early colonization of the Australian continent.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	3-13
Number of pages	11
Journal	Quaternary Research
Volume	55
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1006/qres.2000.2195
Publication status	Published - 2001

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title = "Early human occupation at Devil{\textquoteright}s Lair, southwestern Australia 50, 000 years ago",

abstract = "New dating confirms that people occupied the Australian continent before the earliest time inferred from conventional radiocarbon analysis. Many of the new ages were obtained by accelerator mass spectrometry 14C dating after an acid-base-acid pretreatment with bulk combustion (ABA-BC) or after a newly developed acid-base-wet oxidation pretreatment with stepped combustion (ABOX-SC). The samples (charcoal) came from the earliest occupation levels of the Devil's Lair site in southwestern Western Australia. Initial occupation of this site was previously dated 35, 000 14C yr B.P. Whereas the ABA-BC ages are indistinguishable from background beyond 42, 000 14C yr B.P., the ABOX-SC ages are in stratigraphic order to ~55, 000 14C yr B.P. The ABOX-SC chronology suggests that people were in the area by 48, 000 cal yr B.P. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), electron spin resonance (ESR) ages, U-series dating of flowstones, and 14C dating of emu eggshell carbonate are in agreement with the ABOX-SC 14C chronology. These results, based on four independent techniques, reinforce arguments for early colonization of the Australian continent.",

keywords = "ABOX-SC, Australian archaeology, Electron spin resonance dating, Luminescence dating, Radiocarbon dating, U-series dating",

author = "Turney, {Chris S.M.} and Bird, {Michael I.} and Fifield, {L. Keith} and Roberts, {Richard G.} and Mike Smith and Dortch, {Charles E.} and Rainer Gr{\"u}n and Ewan Lawson and Ayliffe, {Linda K.} and Miller, {Gifford H.} and Joe Dortch and Cresswell, {Richard G.}",

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AU - Smith, Mike

AU - Dortch, Charles E.

AU - Grün, Rainer

AU - Lawson, Ewan

AU - Ayliffe, Linda K.

AU - Miller, Gifford H.

AU - Dortch, Joe

AU - Cresswell, Richard G.

PY - 2001

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N2 - New dating confirms that people occupied the Australian continent before the earliest time inferred from conventional radiocarbon analysis. Many of the new ages were obtained by accelerator mass spectrometry 14C dating after an acid-base-acid pretreatment with bulk combustion (ABA-BC) or after a newly developed acid-base-wet oxidation pretreatment with stepped combustion (ABOX-SC). The samples (charcoal) came from the earliest occupation levels of the Devil's Lair site in southwestern Western Australia. Initial occupation of this site was previously dated 35, 000 14C yr B.P. Whereas the ABA-BC ages are indistinguishable from background beyond 42, 000 14C yr B.P., the ABOX-SC ages are in stratigraphic order to ~55, 000 14C yr B.P. The ABOX-SC chronology suggests that people were in the area by 48, 000 cal yr B.P. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), electron spin resonance (ESR) ages, U-series dating of flowstones, and 14C dating of emu eggshell carbonate are in agreement with the ABOX-SC 14C chronology. These results, based on four independent techniques, reinforce arguments for early colonization of the Australian continent.

AB - New dating confirms that people occupied the Australian continent before the earliest time inferred from conventional radiocarbon analysis. Many of the new ages were obtained by accelerator mass spectrometry 14C dating after an acid-base-acid pretreatment with bulk combustion (ABA-BC) or after a newly developed acid-base-wet oxidation pretreatment with stepped combustion (ABOX-SC). The samples (charcoal) came from the earliest occupation levels of the Devil's Lair site in southwestern Western Australia. Initial occupation of this site was previously dated 35, 000 14C yr B.P. Whereas the ABA-BC ages are indistinguishable from background beyond 42, 000 14C yr B.P., the ABOX-SC ages are in stratigraphic order to ~55, 000 14C yr B.P. The ABOX-SC chronology suggests that people were in the area by 48, 000 cal yr B.P. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), electron spin resonance (ESR) ages, U-series dating of flowstones, and 14C dating of emu eggshell carbonate are in agreement with the ABOX-SC 14C chronology. These results, based on four independent techniques, reinforce arguments for early colonization of the Australian continent.

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KW - Australian archaeology

KW - Electron spin resonance dating

KW - Luminescence dating

KW - Radiocarbon dating

KW - U-series dating

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ER -

Early human occupation at Devil’s Lair, southwestern Australia 50, 000 years ago

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