Dating the Aboriginal rock art of the Kimberley region, WA - landscape geochemistry, surface processes and complementary dating techniques

Grant number: LP130100501 | Funding period: 2014 - 2017

Completed

Abstract

The age of much of the spectacular rock art of the Kimberley region of Western Australia remains unknown, especially in its earliest stages. This project aims to use the most advanced dating techniques now available to determine a sequence of ages for this ancient cultural record, increasing its recognition as a heritage site of international significance.

Related publications (6)

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Micro-stromatolitic laminations and the origins of engraved, oxalate-rich accretions from Australian rock art shelters

Helen Green, Andrew Gleadow, Damien Finch, Cecilia Myers, Jenna McGovern

2021-09-07

Distinctive, dark-coloured, glaze-like mineral accretions are common on low-angle surfaces in sandstone rock shelters in the Kimbe..

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Dating correlated microlayers in oxalate accretions from rock art shelters: New archives of paleoenvironments and human activity

Helen Green, Andrew Gleadow, Vladimir A Levchenko, Damien Finch, Cecilia Myers, Jenna McGovern, Pauline Heaney, Robyn Pickering

2021-08-01

Oxalate-rich mineral accretions, often found in rock shelters around the world, offer important opportunities for radiocarbon dati..

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Ages for Australia's oldest rock paintings

Damien Finch, Andrew Gleadow, Janet Hergt, Pauline Heaney, Helen Green, Cecilia Myers, Peter Veth, Sam Harper, Sven Ouzman, Vladimir A Levchenko

2021-02-22

Naturalistic depictions of animals are a common subject for the world's oldest dated rock art, including wild bovids in Indonesia ..

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12,000-Year-old Aboriginal rock art from the Kimberley region, Western Australia

Damien Finch, Andrew Gleadow, Janet Hergt, Vladimir A Levchenko, Pauline Heaney, Peter Veth, Sam Harper, Sven Ouzman, Cecilia Myers, Helen Green

2020-02-01

The Kimberley region in Western Australia hosts one of the world's most substantial bodies of indigenous rock art thought to exten..

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New developments in the radiocarbon dating of mud wasp nests

Damien Finch, Andrew Gleadow, Janet Hergt, Vladimir A Levchenko, David Fink

2019-04-01

This paper reports on the development of radiocarbon dating of mud wasp nests to provide age estimates for rock art and other anth..

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Characterisation of mineral deposition systems associated with rock art in the Kimberley region of northwest Australia

Helen Green, Andrew Gleadow, Damien Finch

2017-10-01

This data article contains mineralogical and chemical data from mineral accretions sampled from rock art shelters in the Kimberley..