COMPARISON OF OSL AND <SUP>14</SUP>C DATES ESTIMATED FROM PALEOLITHIC PALEOSOL OF THE SUHEOL-RI SITE IN CHEONAN, KOREA

초록

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating and radiocarbon (C-14) dating were performed to determine absolute ages of Paleolithic paleosol layers from the Suheol-ri site in Cheonan, Korea. The results obtained from OSL dating of very fine sand-size (63-125 mu m) and fine sand-size (125-250 mu m) quartz showed that the OSL dates agreed well with each other and that all Paleolithic paleosol layers were buried after complete optical bleaching. The results obtained from C-14 dating of acid-, neutral-, and base-humic acids (HA, HN, and HB) indicated that C-14 dates of paleosol samples are only reliable when the C-14 dates for HA, HN, and HB substances correspond with each other. Comparing between the OSL dates and C-14 dates based on the typology of Korean Paleolithic stone tools and geological stratigraphy, we concluded that the OSL dating method is more reliable and effective than C-14 dating for reconstructing the absolute chronology of Korean Paleolithic paleosol layers.

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