Journal article
Early human occupation of southeastern Australia: Newinsights from 40Ar/39Ar dating of young volcanoes
EL Matchan, D Phillips, F Jourdan, K Oostingh
Geology | GEOLOGICAL SOC AMER, INC | Published : 2020
DOI: 10.1130/G47166.1
Abstract
In Australia, the onset of human occupation (≥65 ka?) and dispersion across the continent are the subjects of intense debate and are critical to understanding global human migration routes. New-generation multi-collector mass spectrometers capable of high-precision 40Ar/39Ar dating of young (<500 ka) samples provide unprecedented opportunities to improve temporal constraints of archaeological events. In southeastern Australia, a novel approach to improving understanding of occupation involves dating key volcanic eruptions in the region, referenced to stone artifacts and Aboriginal oral traditions. The current study focuses on two monogenetic volcanoes in the Newer Volcanic Province of southe..
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Awarded by Australian Research Council
Funding Acknowledgements
This study was supported by Australian Research Council Discovery grant DP130100517 and a University of Melbourne McCoy Project Seed Grant. We thank the Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (Heywood, Australia) for discussions on Indigenous ecological knowledge, and I. Clark (Federation University, Victoria, Australia) for discussions on Indigenous place names of western Victoria. We also thank D. Henry (Museums Victoria, Australia) for field assistance. The Tower Hill sample was collected under the conditions of a DELWP (Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, Victoria, Australia) National Parks Research Permit. Thanks to S. Szczepanski and C. Mayers for technical assistance in the AuScope-supported University of Melbourne and Curtin University <SUP>40</SUP>Ar/<SUP>39</SUP>Ar dating laboratories, respectively. This work was significantly improved by constructive reviews from B. Jicha and E. Niespolo.