Combined esr/u-series chronology of acheulian hominid-bearing layers at trinchera galería site, atapuerca, spain

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Combined esr/u-series chronology of acheulian hominid-bearing layers at trinchera galería site, atapuerca, spain

Publicated to:Journal Of Human Evolution. 65 (2): 168-184 - 2013-08-01 65(2), DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2013.05.005

Authors: Falgueres, Christophe; Bahain, Jean-Jacques; Bischoff, James L; Perez-Gonzalez, Alfredo; Isabel Ortega, Ana; Olle, Andreu; Quiles, Anita; Ghaleb, Bassam; Moreno, Davinia; Dolo, Jean-Michel; Shao, Qingfeng; Vallverdu, Josep; Carbonell, Eudald; Maria Bermudez de Castro, Jose; Luis Arsuaga, Juan

Affiliations

CEA I2BM, F-91401 Orsay, France - Author

Centro Nacional de Investigación Sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH) - Author

Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives - Author

Ctr Nacl Invest Evoluc Humana CENIEH, Burgos 09002, Spain - Author

Inst Catala Paleoecol Humana & Evolucio Social, Tarragona 43007, Spain - Author

Inst Salud Carlos III, Ctr Mixto UCM ISCIII Evoluc & Comportamiento Huma, Madrid 28029, Spain - Author

Inst Vertebrate Paleontol & Paleoanthropol Beijin, Beijing, Peoples R China - Author

Instituto Catalán de Paleoecología Humana y Evolución Social; Universitat Rovira i Virgili - Author

Instituto Catalán de Paleoecología Humana y Evolución Social; Universitat Rovira i Virgili; Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology Chinese Academy of Sciences - Author

Instituto de Salud Carlos III - Author

Lab Sci Climat & Environm, F-91198 Gif Sur Yvette, France - Author

Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement - Author

Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle - Author

Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle; Instituto Catalán de Paleoecología Humana y Evolución Social - Author

Museum Natl Hist Nat, Dept Prehist, UMR7194, F-75013 Paris, France - Author

United States Geological Survey Western Region - Author

Univ Quebec, Geotop, Montreal, PQ H3C 3P8, Canada - Author

Univ Rovira & Virgili, Fac Lletres, Area Prehist, Dept Hist & Hist Art, Tarragona 43002, Spain - Author

Université du Québec à Montréal - Author

US Geol Survey, Menlo Pk, CA 94025 USA - Author

Abstract

The Sierra de Atapuerca, northern Spain, is known from many prehistoric and palaeontological sites documenting human prehistory in Europe. Three major sites, Gran Dolina, Galería and Sima del Elefante, range in age from the oldest hominin of Western Europe dated to 1.1 to 1.3Ma (millions of years ago) at Sima del Elefante to c.a. 0.2Ma on the top of the Galería archaeological sequence. Recently, a chronology based on luminescence methods (Thermoluminescence [TL] and Infrared Stimulated Luminescence [IRSL]) applied to cave sediments was published for the Gran Dolina and Galería sites. The authors proposed for Galería an age of 450ka (thousands of years ago) for the units lower GIII and GII, suggesting that the human occupation there is younger than the hominid remains of Sima de los Huesos (>530ka) around 1km away.In this paper, we present new results obtained by combined Electron Spin Resonance/Uranium-series (ESR/U-series) dating on 20 herbivorous teeth from different levels at the Galería site. They are in agreement with the TL results for the upper part of the stratigraphic sequence (GIV and GIIIb), in the range of between 200 and 250ka. But for the GIIIa to GIIb levels, the TL ages become abruptly older by 200 ka while ESR ages remain relatively constant. Finally, the TL and ESR data agree in the lowest part of the section (GIIa); both fall in the range of around 350-450ka. Our results suggest a different interpretation for the GII, GIII and GIV units of Galería and the upper part of Gran Dolina (TD10 and TD11) than obtained by TL. The ESR/U-series results are supported by a Bayesian analysis, which allows a better integration between stratigraphic information and radiometric data. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Keywords

bayesian analysiseurasiagran dolinahomo antecessorluminescenceAcheulian industryAnimalsAtapuercaBayes theoremBayesian analysisChronology as topicElectron spin resonance spectroscopyEurasiaFossilsGaleria siteGeologic sedimentsGran dolinaHominidaeHomo antecessorHorsesLuminescenceLuminescent measurementsMiddle pleistoceneRadiometric datingRuminantsSpainToothUranium

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The work has been published in the journal Journal Of Human Evolution due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2013, it was in position 3/82, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Anthropology.

From a relative perspective, and based on the normalized impact indicator calculated from the Field Citation Ratio (FCR) of the Dimensions source, it yields a value of: 24.06, which indicates that, compared to works in the same discipline and in the same year of publication, it ranks as a work cited above average. (source consulted: Dimensions Jun 2025)

Specifically, and according to different indexing agencies, this work has accumulated citations as of 2025-06-30, the following number of citations:

WoS: 81
Scopus: 86
Europe PMC: 7

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This work has been carried out with international collaboration, specifically with researchers from: Canada; China; France; United States of America.

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