They used optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) to determine the age of these impressions.
They used optically stimulated luminescence to determine the age of these impressions. “This method of dating shows how long ago a grain of sand was exposed to sunlight; in other words, how long that section of sediment has been buried,” the authors mentioned inIt was discovered using this technique that the tracks range somewhere between 153,000 to 71,000 years old. These 153,000-year-old footprints were found in the high cliffs of the Garden Route National Park track site.
Interestingly, archaeologists have previously documented ancient intricate stone tools, art, jewelry, coastal cave, rock-shelter sites, and shellfish harvesting from this region of South Africa. According to the researchers, the findings support that early modern humans may have lived and evolved on the south coast of Africa before migrating to other continents.
Moreover, 14 dated African hominin ichnosites are now more than 50,000 years old. Researchers believe that more hominin ichnosites await discovery on the Cape South coast. Footprints serve as a valuable palaeo-record and help us understand ancient hominins in Africa. As per the study, it "can provide not just an indication of humans traveling across these surfaces as individuals or groups, but also evidence of some of the activities they engaged in.
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