ESR dating of archaeologically relevant authigenic terrestrial apatite veins from Tabun Cave, Israel

Abstract

Apatite veins exposed at Tabun Cave were collected for an electron spin resonance (ESR) dating feasibility study. The dose response and thermal stability of the ESR signals were found to be suitable for an age determination using a signal at g=2.0015. The early and linear uptake ESR ages were found to be in the range of 45–75 ka. Since the apatite vein is known to have crystallized in situ after the formation of the host sediments, the age was expected to be younger than that of the host sediments. Thermoluminescence dating of heated flints (J. Archaeol. Sci. 22 (1995) 495) in corresponding units establish the age of the host sedimentation to be 306±33 ka or greater. The apatite veins ages were found to be at least 200 ka younger, consistent with their expected younger age. We emphasize that these results are not relevant to a resolution of the controversy that remains in the literature regarding the burial ages of sediments at Tabun Cave. The significance of this dating approach is discussed in relation to diagenesis of bone and guano, which is important to our understanding of cave sediment formation and to the determinations of sediment ages using other radiation exposure techniques.