Radiocarbon and luminescence age estimate database for the Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Area: a reliability-assurance assessment

A reliability-assured chronostratigraphic framework for the Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Area reveals distinct palaeoenvironmental phases spanning from 56.2 ± 3.0 to 17.2 ± 0.7 ka, based on high-confidence optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and radiocarbon age estimates. The study identified three lacustrine phases: a system-wide high-water period (~55–35 ka cal BP), a short pulse reaching Lake Outer Arumpo (~29–24 ka cal BP), and a final saline phase at Lake Mungo (~21–17 ka cal BP) while freshwater conditions persisted at Lake Mulurulu. Only 62 of 143 radiocarbon ages linked to archaeological features were deemed reliable, highlighting gaps in documenting land-use history. The research compiled and ranked 661 age estimates (radiocarbon, OSL, thermoluminescence), emphasizing the need for expanded, contextually diverse geochronological data to clarify both palaeoenvironmental change and human occupancy patterns.

Jankowski, N. R., Stern, N., Foley, E., Jacobsen, G., Cadd, H., & Smith, T. (2025). Radiocarbon and luminescence age estimate database for the Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Area: a reliability-assurance assessment. Quaternary Geochronology, 89, 101678. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2025.101678