Koonalda Cave, Nullarbor Plain, South Australia – issues in optical and radiometric dating of deep karst caves

Abstract

Abstract Koonalda Cave is located on the Nullarbor Plain of South Australia and is one of 17 deep karst caves in this region. In 2014, the cave was listed as a National Heritage Place in recognition of its significant archaeological and cultural heritage features. It In order to understand the antiquity of and complex human activity in this site a range of dating methods have been applied including typologic, radiometric and luminescence. Each has been challenged and the chronology of this highly significant site has relied on contextual data from other sites. This paper presents an overview of the archaeology recorded at Koonalda Cave, the issues in dating sites in deep karst systems and emphasises the urgent need to resolve these issues so that a reliable chronology can be presented for Koonalda Cave.