Aspartic Acid Racemization Ages of California Paleoindian Skeletons

Abstract

The redating of the Laguna and Los Angeles Man skeletons by the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon method has shown that the Upper Pleistocene dates for these skeletons determined previously by the conventional radiocarbon method are probably incorrect. Using the revised ages for these skeletons to calibrate the aspartic acid racemization rate yields racemization ages for the Del Mar and Sunnyvale skeletons that are compatible with their AMS radiocarbon ages, a point that Taylor et al. (1985) fail to discuss.