Anthropology 2229F/G Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Optically Stimulated Luminescence, Electron Paramagnetic Resonance, Tooth Enamel
Document Summary
Anthro 2229 lecture 9 notes continuation from last lecture. Advantages over c-14 dating: can date artifacts directly and can date materials more than 45,000 years old - up to 100,000 bp. Error range is usually about 10% of the age of the sample. Used to date burnt stone tools in qafzeh cave, israel to 92,000 bp, demonstration that modern humans were living in the middle east alongside neanderthals. Optically stimulated luminescence and electron spin resonance. Osl - used to date sediments, based on the fact sand grains have their radiometric clocks set to zero when exposed to sunlight. Used to determine when a sediment became buried. Esr - used on tooth enamel - measures the amount of radiation accumulated in a tooth since it entered a burial environment. Radiation dose measured by exposing the sample to electromagnetic radiation and measuring the amount of microwave energy absorbed by the sample. Dendrochronology (10,000 ya - present, depending on region)