Open AccessOSL dating of the M iddle P alaeolithic H otel C alifornia site, S ierra d e A tapuerca, north‐central S pain
Author(s) -
Arnold Lee J.,
Demuro Martina,
Navazo Marta,
BenitoCalvo Alfonso,
PérezGonzález Alfredo
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
boreas
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.95
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1502-3885
pISSN - 0300-9483
DOI - 10.1111/j.1502-3885.2012.00262.x
Subject(s) - geology , mineralogy , optical dating , quartz , paleontology
In this study we present optically stimulated luminescence ( OSL ) dating results obtained at one of the most important open‐air M iddle P alaeolithic sites in the S ierra d e A tapuerca foothills – H otel C alifornia. We also assess the possibility of obtaining extended‐range OSL chronologies for a nearby M iddle P leistocene fluvial deposit using several novel methods, namely OSL dating of individual quartz ‘supergrains’, multi‐grain aliquot thermally transferred OSL ( TT‐OSL ) dating and the first application of a single‐grain TT‐OSL dating procedure. Four single‐grain OSL ages constrain the M iddle P alaeolithic occupation of H otel C alifornia to between 71±6 and 48±3 ka. The H otel C alifornia single‐grain equivalent dose ( D e ) distributions are highly overdispersed and contain several dose populations, which are probably attributable to post‐depositional sediment mixing, partial bleaching and intrinsic scatter. The reliability of multi‐grain aliquot OSL dating is compromised by the complex underlying D e dispersion affecting these samples, as well as by biasing multi‐grain averaging effects. Extended‐range OSL and TT‐OSL chronologies for the nearby P ico R iver terrace are consistent with each other and with broad independent age control. These experimental approaches yield a weighted average age of 348±16 ka for terrace T A9 of the A rlanzón R iver sequence. Our results highlight the benefits of comparing ages obtained using several OSL methodologies to improve the robustness of luminescence chronologies. They also demonstrate the potential that single‐grain OSL techniques offer for establishing improved age constraints on the many other M iddle P alaeolithic sites found at A tapuerca and elsewhere across north‐central S pain.