Dunbridge, Hampshire: Optical Stimulated Luminescence Dating of Pleiistocene Fluvial Sand and Gravel Deposits
Author(s): Peter Allen, Philippa Bradley, Bridgland, Phil Harding, David Peat, Jean-Luc Schwenninger
A series of 13 samples were collected from an exposed quarry face near Kimbridge Farm, Dunbridge for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. The Pleistocene sediments comprise terrace deposits of the River Test which have produced a large number of Palaeolithic handaxes. This dating study follows a geoarchaeological watching brief undertaken over a period of 17 years in which sections were recorded and sampled with the primary aim of enhancing the understanding of the geological context of the richest Lower Palaeolithic assemblage from Hampshire. Two gravel terraces have been confirmed: an upper Belbin Formation including archaeological finds demonstrating ‘proto- Levallois’ technology, and a lower Mottisfont Formation with a relatively sparse Palaeolithic content. Although, the majority of samples were shown to be affected by poor bleaching, previously published OSL dating, supplemented by new data, has been combined with uplift modelling to suggest dates of MIS 9b and MIS 8, respectively, for these two gravels. This fits well with evidence from other sites in England and the near Continent for the timing of the earliest Levallois at around MIS 9.
- Report Number:
- 113/2011
- Series:
- Research Department Reports
- Pages:
- 48
- Keywords:
- Geochronology Optically Stimulated Luminescence Palaeolithic
