Abstract
The Kunang cave paleolithic site is located at Tanyang [$N37^{\circ}2'$, $128^{\circ}21'E$], Chungbuk Province, which is in the Central part of the Korean peninsula. The cave is developed at 312 amsl in a karstic mountainous area. The South Han River flows across this region and other caves can also be found near the river. The site was discovered in 1986 and excavated 3 times by the Chungbuk National University Museum until now. The cave was wellpreserved from modem human activities until the first discovery. The full length of the cave is estimated to be ca. 140 m. However, a spacious part up to 11 m from the entrance has been excavated. Eight lithological units are divided over the vertical profile at a depth of 5 m. Each unit is deposited in ascending order as follow: mud layer (Unit 9), lower complex (Unit 8) which is composed of angular blocks and fragments with a muddy matrix, lower travertine layer (Unit 7； flowstone), middle complex (Unit 6; cultural layer) which is composed of fragments with a muddy matrix, middle travertine layer (Unit 5； flowstone), yellowish muddy layer (Unit 4), upper complex (Unit 3； cultural layer) which has a similar composition to Unit 8. the upper travertine layer (Unit 2； flowstone), and finally surface soil layer (Unit 1). The most abundant vestiges in the cultural layers are the animal bones. They are small fractured pieces and mostly less than 3 cm in length. About 3,800 bone pieces from 25 animal species have been collected so far, 90 percent of them belonging to young deers. Previous archaeological study of these bone pieces shows thatprehistoric people occupied the cavenot for permanent dwelling but for temporary shelter during their seasonal hunting activity. More extensive studies of these bones together with pollen analysis are in progress to reconstruct the paleoenvironment of this cave. Only a single date (12,500 BP) obtained from a U-Th measurement of the upper travertine layer was previously available. In spite of the importance of the cave stratigraphy, there was no detail chronological investigation to establish the depositional process of the cultural layers and to understand the periodic structure of the cave strata, alternating travertine floor and complex layers. We have measured five 14C age dating (38900+/-1000, 36400+/-900, 40600+/-1600, more than 51000 and 52000 14C BP) using Seoul National University 14C AMS facility, conducted systematic process of the collagen extraction from bone fragments samples. From the result, we estimate that sedimentation rate of the cave earth is constant, and that the travertine layers, Unit 2 and Unit 3, was formed during MIS 5a(ca. 80 kBP) and MIS 5c (ca. 100 kBP) respectively. The Kunang Cave site is located at Yochonli of the region of Danyang in the mid-eastern part of Korea. This region is compased of limestones in which many caves were found and the Nam-han river flows meanderingly. The excavations were carried out three times in 1986, 1988, and 1998.
(School of Physics, Seoul National University)
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