Uranium series dating in paleoanthropology

Abstract Many hominid and archaeological sites contain materials that were formed or deposited synchronously with the site and can be dated by uranium‐series methods, principally 230 Th/ 234 U dating. The range of the method is approximately 350,000 years. U‐series dating yields most accurate results when applied to chemically precipitated calcium carbonate, which occurs in stalagmitic layers, travertines, and lacustrine limestones. Materials such as bone and shell are less reliable. Using mass spectrometry (MS), a precision of ±1% is attainable, whereas conventional alpha counting optimally gives a precision of ±5%. Mass spectrometric dating requires smaller samples, potentially allowing determination of ante quem dates for calcite coatings on hominid fossils and associated faunal skeletons.