ESR dating of the Majuangou and Banshan Paleolithic sites in the Nihewan Basin, North China

The fluvio-lacustrine sequences in the Nihewan Basin, northern China provide an important source of Paleolithic settlements and therefore early human occupation in the eastern Old World. Here we present electron spin resonance (ESR) chronology for the Majuangou (MJG-III, MJG-II and MJG-I) and Banshan (BS) Paleolithic sites in this basin by the quartz Ti–Li center ESR dating. Results show that the ages of MJG-III and MJG-II could be estimated to be ∼1.70 Ma (millions of years ago); of MJG-I, ∼1.40 Ma; and BS, ∼1.35 Ma. This ESR chronology is consistent with the previous magnetochronology, thus providing strong support for the earliest human presence at the high northern latitudes of Northeast Asia.