This project will continue research on ESR dating of prehistoric archeological and hominid sites. Energy is stored in natural materials as a result of bombardment by natural radioactivity. The amount of stored energy increases with time and can be used to determine the age of the material. The amount of stored energy can be determined from the intensity of an electron spin resonance (ESR) signal displayed by these materials. ESR dating can be applied to tooth enamel of large mammals, and to quartz which has been heated in fires. Tooth enamel is very commonly found in archaeological and hominid sites, and can be dated by ESR over a time range from a few thousand to over three million years with a precision of + 5 to 10%. Burnt flint and quartz are also common in archaeological sites. ESR dating has been successfully applied to prehistoric sites in Europe, Africa and Asia, and has contributed to a revolutionary new view of the emergence of Modern Man. This project will continue research on methods of ESR analysis and application of the methods to sites now being studied by U.S. archaeologists and anthropologists. The laboratory at McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada, is the only lab in North America carrying out such analyses, which have been recognized world-wide for their importance to the chronology of human evolution.
