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Bear dentine aspartic acid racemization analysis: a proxy for the dating of Pleistocene cave infills
Author(s) -
De Torres T.,
Ortiz J. E.,
Llamas F. J.,
Canoira L.,
Juliá R.,
García–Martínez M. J.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
archaeometry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1475-4754
pISSN - 0003-813X
DOI - 10.1111/1475-4754.t01-1-00074
Subject(s) - racemization , cave , aspartic acid , pleistocene , geology , ursus , paleontology , chemistry , amino acid , mineralogy , archaeology , geography , biochemistry , stereochemistry , population , demography , sociology
A high correlation between chronometric determinations based on aspartic acid racemization ratios and radioactive dating methods is described from samples of cave bear (Ursus deningeri and Ursus spelaeus) dentine. For samples from a very restrictive environment, as deep cave bear sites are (in view of their highly stable geochemical and thermal history), an age calculation algorithm was obtained. It has been found that there is a very close relationship between collagen preservation, from total aspartic acid in the > 3500 D fraction, and the amino acid racemization.