La datation ESR/U-th de restes paléontologiques, un outil pour estimer le possible remaniement des niveaux archéologiques?

ESR/U-series dating of fossil teeth is a palaeodosimetric method commonly used for Middle and Late Pleistocene archaeological levels. Beyond the geochronological interest (it is often one of the few methods applicable on sites located in non-volcanic or carbonated areas) and despite the relatively important age uncertainties (usually 10-15 %, because of the high number of parameters - over 25 - considered in the age calculation process), ESR/U-series method can allow, in combination with the available stratigraphic and palaeoenvironmental data, the correlation of the studied archaeological levels to a specific marine isotopic (MIS), if the evolution of the dose rate with time since the sample burial is reasonably well described. However, for some sites the results display great age scatter ages that could simply not be explained by local variations of the dose rate for the studied level. It could indicate instead that the palaeontological record is made by several stocks of different ages or dosimetric histories mixed in the same archaeological level.