Implications of multi-modal age distributions in Pleistocene cave deposits: A case study of Maludong palaeoathropological locality, southern China

Abstract

The occurrence of multi-modal ages for inclusions contained within cave sediments is probably far more widespread and problematic than has been appreciated by archaeologists until now. This phenomenon is likely to be a relatively common situation in caves especially in tropical/sub-tropical areas like southern China where karstification and sedimentation would have been rapid within a context of active hydrological regimes over protracted periods during the Pleistocene. The availability of various cost-effective dating techniques applicable to both Pleistocene cave sediments and a range of sedimentary inclusions means that archaeologists are now better placed to understand this phenomenon than ever before. Here we describe the results of Uranium-series dating of a randomly selected sample of deer bones and teeth from Maludong in southern China which demonstrate the existence of disparate multi-modal ages among sedimentary inclusions at the site. These results have implications for previous reconstructions of the palaeoenvironment of the site as well as for interpretations of the possible significance of enigmatic hominin remains from Maludong for understanding the late phases of human evolutionary history in the region. We conclude that the complexities of reconstructing sedimentary history and allied challenges of dating sedimentary inclusions in caves require urgent and serious attention by archaeologists especially in light of the growing international attention being paid to later Middle and Late Pleistocene sites in tropical East Asia.