We have revealed a unique time capsule of Australia's first coastal people from 50,000 years ago
MARCH 25, 2024
Editors' notes
by Peter Veth, David W. Zeanah, Fiona Hook, Kane Ditchfield and Peter Kendrick, The Conversation
Barrow Island has a different rock composition from the mainland. Most artefacts from Boodie Cave were made from limestone, while most found in the open air were similar to materials from the mainland. Credit: Compiled from data in Zeanah et al. 2024
Barrow Island, located 60 kilometers off the Pilbara in Western Australia, was once a hill overlooking an expansive coast. This was the northwestern shelf of the Australian continent, now permanently submerged by the ocean.
Our new research, published in Quaternary Science Reviews, shows that Aboriginal people repeatedly lived on portions of this coastal plateau. We have worked closely with coastal Thalanyji Traditional Owners on this island work and also on their sites from the mainland. This use of the plain likely began 50,000 years ago, and the place remained habitable until rising sea levels cut the island off from the mainland 6,500 years ago.
A unique time capsule
The northwestern shelf and the submerged coastlines of Australia are immensely significant for understanding how and where First Nations people lived before and during the last ice age.
When the last ice age was at its coldest (24,000 to 19,000 years ago), sea levels worldwide were about 130 meters below current levels. As the ice melted, the sea rose rapidly, eventually flooding the connection between Barrow Island and the mainland.
More:
https://phys.org/news/2024-03-revealed-unique-capsule-australia-coastal.html
