Fig. 2 Hand stencil GS3b in Maltravieso cave (minimum age 66.7 ka). (Left) Original photo. The inset shows where the overlying carbonate was sampled for MAL 13. (Right) Same picture after application of the DStretch software (25) (correlation LRE 15%, auto contrast) to enhance color contrast. See (20) for details.
Fig. 3 Speleothem curtain 8 in section II-A-3 in Ardales cave with red pigment, painted before at least 65.5 ka ago. (Left) Series of curtains with red paint on top, partially covered with later speleothem growth. The white rectangle outlines the area shown at right. (Right) Detail of curtain 8. The black square indicates where carbonate, overlying the red paint, was sampled for ARD 13. See (20) for details.
- Table 1 U-Th results of samples discussed in the text.
More details and additional results can be found in table S4 (20). All ratios are activity ratios. Analytical errors are at the 95% confidence level. Spl ID, sample identifier.
Spl ID Site and description 238U
(ng/g)230Th/232Th 230Th/238U
uncorrected234U/238U
uncorrectedAge
uncorrected
(ka)Age
corrected
(ka)PAS 34a Pasiega C, no. 78, cauliflower-type
carbonate on top of red line of
scalariform motif, minimum age289.29 ± 9.06 32.82 ± 0.21 1.5149 ± 0.0106 3.7694 ± 0.0082 52.52 ± 0.47 51.56 ± 1.09 PAS 34b As above 215.56 ± 7.43 28.28 ± 0.19 1.5453 ± 0.0121 3.6744 ± 0.0094 55.53 ± 0.56 54.36 ± 1.39 PAS 34c As above 178.31 ± 8.31 7.25 ± 0.07 2.0348 ± 0.0213 3.4591 ± 0.0092 85.79 ± 1.28 79.66 ± 14.90 MAL 13
surface
cleaning
fractionMaltravieso, cauliflower-type
carbonate layer overlying hand
stencil GS3b, minimum age117.2 ± 1.99 12.47 ± 0.16 0.4639 ± 0.0068 1.1872 ± 0.0328 53.32 + 2.30
or − 2.1341.68 + 2.44
or − 2.29MAL 13A As above 142.69 ± 3.39 37.50 ± 0.57 0.6067 ± 0.0123 1.2024 ± 0.0305 74.86 + 3.78
or − 3.4170.08 + 3.82
or − 3.37ARD 6 Ardales, red paint on curtain formation,
II-C-8, carbonate from underlying
curtain, maximum age511.42 ± 6.38 34.95 ± 0.14 0.4661 ± 0.0021 1.0459 ± 0.0021 64.09 ± 0.44 62.97 ± 0.69 ARD 8 Ardales, red paint on curtain formation,
II-C-8, carbonate from overlying
curtain, minimum age297.21 ± 2.89 145.58 ± 1.06 0.2703 ± 0.0018 1.0477 ± 0.0024 32.51 ± 0.26 32.35 ± 0.27 ARD 13A Ardales, red paint on curtain formation,
II-A-3 curtain 8, minimum age1229.61 ± 25.84 152.83 ± 1.14 0.3661 ± 0.0033 1.0385 ± 0.0033 47.33 + 0.57
or − 0.5647.13 + 0.56
or − 0.57ARD 13B As above 331.54 ± 13.53 42.59 ± 0.58 0.4878 ± 0.0073 1.0369 ± 0.0234 69.09 + 2.93
or − 2.6268.13 + 2.96
or − 2.62ARD 14A Ardales, red paint on curtain formation,
II-A-3 curtain 6, carbonate from
underlying curtain, maximum age684.76 ± 13.29 395.03 ± 4.91 0.3683 ± 0.0063 1.0379 ± 0.0029 47.72 + 1.05
or − 1.0247.64 + 1.07
or − 1.03ARD 15A Ardales, red paint on curtain formation,
II-A-3 curtain 6, carbonate from
overlying curtain, minimum age1696.03 ± 53.88 337.14 ± 3.63 0.3584 ± 0.0050 1.0374 ± 0.0025 46.15 + 0.81
or − 0.8246.06 + 0.81
or − 0.77ARD 15B As above 667.98 ± 37.85 152.07 ± 3.27 0.3467 ± 0.0110 1.0347 ± 0.0061 44.45 + 1.79
or − 1.8244.25 + 1.78
or − 1.77ARD 16A Ardales, red paint on curtain formation,
II-A-3 curtain 5, carbonate from
overlying curtain, minimum age313.84 ± 5.88 58.92 ± 0.74 0.3317 ± 0.0044 1.0323 ± 0.0051 42.23 + 0.74
or − 0.7241.75 ± 0.77 ARD 16B As above 250.2 ± 4.29 84.25 ± 0.84 0.3628 ± 0.0050 1.0314 ± 0.0051 47.23 + 0.85
or − 0.8346.86 + 0.85
or − 0.92ARD 16C As above 227.59 ± 28.55 56.70 ± 2.84 0.3690 ± 0.0213 1.0227 ± 0.0342 48.79 + 4.26
or − 4.0048.23 + 4.43
or − 4.10ARD 26A Ardales, red paint visible as a line on
cross section of a broken curtain,
between III-C-3 and III-C-2,
carbonate from overlying curtain,
minimum age564.64 ± 13.56 1004.53 ± 20.81 0.3243 ± 0.0099 1.0502 ± 0.0203 40.20 + 1.84
or − 1.6940.17 + 1.73
or − 1.77ARD 26B As above 532.37 ± 14.02 985.93 ± 24.33 0.3258 ± 0.0112 1.0496 ± 0.0113 40.45 + 1.82
or − 1.7040.42 + 1.79
or − 1.78ARD 28A Ardales, red paint visible as a line
on cross section of a broken
curtain, between III-C-3 and III-C-2,
carbonate from underlying curtain,
maximum age520.54 ± 8.11 4626.61 ± 188.57 0.3379 ± 0.0192 1.0458 ± 0.0124 42.48 + 3.09
or − 2.9142.47 + 3.07
or − 2.97
Supplementary Materials
www.sciencemag.org/content/359/6378/912/suppl/DC1
Materials and Methods
Supplementary Text
Figs. S1 to S42
Tables S1 to S4
References (37–51)
Additional Files
- U-Th dating of carbonate crusts reveals Neandertal origin of Iberian cave art
D. L. Hoffmann, C. D. Standish, M. García-Diez, P. B. Pettitt, J. A. Milton, J. Zilhão, J. J. Alcolea-González, P. Cantalejo-Duarte, H. Collado, R. de Balbín, M. Lorblanchet, J. Ramos-Muñoz, G.-Ch. Weniger, A. W. G. Pike
Materials/Methods, Supplementary Text, Tables, Figures, and/or References
- Materials and Methods
- Supplementary Text
- Figs. S1 to S42
- Tables S1 to S4
- References