ESR dating of Mousterian levels at El Castillo Cave, Cantabria, Spain

Sediments filling the cave of El Castillo, in Cantabrian Spain, contain Acheulian, Mousterian, and Upper Palaeolithic industries. Bischoffet al. (1992) obtained a U-series isochron date of 89±10ka on a travertine layer separating Acheulian layers from the lowest Mousterian bed; layer 23. We have obtained electron spin resonance (ESR) ages on tooth enamel from the immediately overlying Mousterian-bearing layers 22 and 21, yielding an average age for the two layers of 70±8ka. Early and linear uptake ages are indistinguishable, due to low uranium contents in the teeth. This age is consistent with the age for the underlying travertine. Assuming a constant deposition rate, this age is also consistent with thec. 40ka age for the overlying early Aurignacian layer 18.