Amino acid racemization dating of marine shells: A mound of possibilities.

ABSTRACT: Shell middens are one of the most important and widespread indicators for human exploitation of marine resources and occupation of coastal environments. Establishing an accurate and reliable chronology for these deposits has fundamental implications for understanding the patterns of human evolution and dispersal. This paper explores the potential application of a new methodology of amino acid racemization (AAR) dating of shell middens and describes a simple protocol to test the suitability of different molluscan species. This protocol provides a preliminary test for the presence of an intracrystalline fraction of proteins (by bleaching experiments and subsequent heating at high temperature), checking the closed system behaviour of this fraction during diagenesis. Only species which pass bo

SUBMITTER: Demarchi B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3117143 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature