Combined uranium-series and electron spin resonance dating from the Pliocene fossil sites of Aves and Milo’s palaeocaves, Bolt’s Farm, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa

Wenjing Yu; Andy I. R. Herries; Tara Edwards; Brian Armstrong; Renaud Joannes-Boyau

doi:10.7717/peerj.17478

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Combined uranium-series and electron spin resonance dating from the Pliocene fossil sites of Aves and Milo’s palaeocaves, Bolt’s Farm, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa

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Combined uranium-series and electron spin resonance dating from the Pliocene fossil sites of Aves and Milo’s palaeocaves, Bolt’s Farm, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa

Wenjing Yu, Andy I. R. Herries, Tara Edwards, Brian Armstrong and Renaud Joannes-Boyau

PeerJ (San Francisco, CA), Vol.12, e17478

28/06/2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.17478

Appears in Recent Faculty of Science and Engineering Publications

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Abstract

Combined US-ESR dating

Fossil teeth

Bolt’s Farm

Pliocene

Pleistocene

Palaeocave

Geochronology

Direct dating

South African fossils

Palaeomagnetism

Bolt’s Farm is the name given to a series of non-hominin bearing fossil sites that have often been suggested to be some of the oldest Pliocene sites in the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa. This article reports the results of the first combined Uranium-Series and Electron Spin Resonance (US-ESR) dating of bovid teeth at Milo’s Cave and Aves Cave at Bolt’s Farm. Both tooth enamel fragments and tooth enamel powder ages were presented for comparison. US-ESR, EU and LU models are calculated. Overall, the powder ages are consistent with previous uranium-lead and palaeomagnetic age estimates for the Aves Cave deposit, which suggest an age between ~3.15 and 2.61 Ma and provide the first ages for Milo’s Cave dates to between ~3.1 and 2.7 Ma. The final ages were not overly dependent on the models used (US-ESR, LU or EU), which all overlap within error. These ages are all consistent with the biochronological age estimate (<3.4–>2.6 Ma) based on the occurrence of Stage I Metridiochoerus andrewsi. Preliminary palaeomagnetic analysis from Milo’s Cave indicates a reversal takes place at the site with predominantly intermediate directions, suggesting the deposit may date to the period between ~3.03 and 3.11 Ma within error of the ESR ages. This further suggests that there are no definitive examples of palaeocave deposits at Bolt’s Farm older than 3.2 Ma. This research indicates that US-ESR dating has the potential to date fossil sites in the Cradle of Humankind to over 3 Ma. However, bulk sample analysis for US-ESR dating is recommended for sites over 3 Ma.

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Title: Combined uranium-series and electron spin resonance dating from the Pliocene fossil sites of Aves and Milo’s palaeocaves, Bolt’s Farm, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa
Creators: Wenjing Yu - La Trobe University
Andy I. R. Herries - La Trobe University
Tara Edwards - University of Cape Town
Brian Armstrong - University of Johannesburg
Renaud Joannes-Boyau - Southern Cross University
Publication Details: PeerJ (San Francisco, CA), Vol.12, e17478
Publisher: PeerJ Inc
Grants: A new timeline for human evolution using a pioneer non-destructive direct dating methodology, DP140100919, Australian Research Council
Decoding the geochemical record of early human fossils, DP220100195, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
New frontier in Geoscience: A tandem trace element and isotopes facility, LE200100022, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
Evolving landscapes of our early South African ancestors, DP170100056 — La Trobe University, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
Grant note: ARC DP140100919, ARC DP220100195 to RJB, and ARC DP170100056 to AIRH and RJB / Australian Research Council 2021-2-HDR-0008 to WY / La Trobe University Humanities and Social Science Internal Research ARC LE200100022 to RJ / ARC LIEF
Identifiers: 991013204178202368
Academic Unit: Faculty of Science and Engineering; Science
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

Combined uranium-series and electron spin resonance dating from the Pliocene fossil sites of Aves and Milo’s palaeocaves, Bolt’s Farm, Cradle of Humankind, South Africa

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