Extended-range luminescence chronologies for the Middle Pleistocene units at the Sima del Elefante archaeological site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain)

New luminescence dating reveals that the Sima del Elefante archaeological site in Spain's Sierra de Atapuerca was occupied between 576,000 and 237,000 years ago, with a significant cave entrance likely closing around 200,000 years ago. The study used single-grain TT-OSL and multi-grain pIR-IR chronologies to date the upper Middle Pleistocene units (TE18 and TE19), which contain Acheulean and transitional lithic assemblages, as well as fossil remains of large and small mammals. U-series dating of a stalagmitic crust further confirmed these findings. The research provides crucial insights into Lower Paleolithic technological dynamics and past human occupation patterns in the Atapuerca karst system.

Demuro, M., Arnold, L. J., Parés, J.-M., Aranburu, A., Huguet, R., Vallverdú, J., Arsuaga, J.-L., Bermúdez de Castro, J.-M., & Carbonell, E. (2022). Extended-range luminescence chronologies for the Middle Pleistocene units at the Sima del Elefante archaeological site (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain). Quaternary Geochronology, 71, 101318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2022.101318