Tam Pa Ling Cave

Tam Pa Ling Cave

News: Tam Pà Ling cave provided the earliest evidence of modern humans in mainland South-East Asia.

What is Tam Pa ling cave?
• Tam Pa Ling Cave is a cave in the Annamite Mountains in north-eastern Laos. It is situated at the top of Pa Hang Mountain, 1,170 m (3,840 ft) above sea level.
• The cave has a single, south-facing opening and descends 65 m (213 ft) to its main gallery. It is part of a network of karst caves, formed by the dissolution of limestone beds that were laid down between the Upper Carboniferous and Permian periods.

What is the cave famous for?
• The cave is famous for being the site of the oldest evidence for modern humans in mainland South-East Asia. Three hominin fossils have been discovered in the cave.
• The fossils were excavated by a team of American, French and Laotian researchers starting in 2009.
• They were found at different depths in the same area of the cave’s main gallery, at the base of the sloped entrance.
• The fossils were dated using radiocarbon, luminescence and uranium-thorium methods . The researchers are not sure if the bones belonged to the direct ancestors of modern-day human populations, and suggest it was a ‘failed migration’.

What are the dating methods used at the caves?
• Luminescence dating - It is a technique that measures the last time crystalline materials, such as stones, were exposed to sunlight or heat. This technique mainly uses two minerals  quartz and feldspar.
• Uranium series dating - It works by measuring uranium, and the elements into which it transforms via radioactive decay within the tooth.
• Radiocarbon dating is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon. Radiocarbon is continually formed in nature by the interaction of neutrons with nitrogen-14 in the Earth’s atmosphere; the neutrons required for this reaction are produced by cosmic rays interacting with the atmosphere.