Re-dating Changyang Cave in Hubei province, southern China

摘要

Owing to the unearthed left maxillary fragment and left lower premolar fossil in 1950s, Changyang Cave was regarded as an important hominin site where Middle Pleistocene hominins are first discovered in southern China. However, only two bovine tooth fossils have been dated to 194 + 24-20 ka and 196 + 20-17 ka by U-series dating since 1980s. In this work, the stratigraphy of Changyang Cave was re-investigated by applying U-Th dating method for eight new tooth fossils obtained from fossil layer and two carbonate crystal samples from clay cement on the wall of this cave. New dating results showed that the ages of the two carbonate crystals are 256 and 233 ka respectively, and those of the eight tooth fossils are concentrated from 193 ka to 143 ka. Considering the ages of the two previous fossils, new carbonate crystals, and new eight tooth fossils, we suggested that the age range of Changyang hominin is between 196 and 143 ka.