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China is a key area of early human settlement in East Asia, with numerous Paleolithic localities indicating an early Pleistocene presence of hominins in northern and southern China. Considerable research has been devoted to determining possible migration routes for hominins linking the two areas. In this paper, we report the discovery of several loess-covered Paleolithic sites in the Hanzhong and Ankang Basins along the Hanjiang River in the southern piedmont of the Qinling Mountains (QLM) in central China. A chronology is developed for these sections using a combination of detailed optically stimulated luminescence dating, magnetostratigraphic analyses, and pedostratigraphic correlation with the well-dated loess–paleosol sequence of the central Chinese Loess Plateau. The results indicate that the age of the oldest lithic assemblage at the Longgangsi locality 3 Paleolithic site in Hanzhong Basin is ∼1.20 Ma, thus making this locality as one of the oldest sites in central China. Our work also indicates that hominins occupied the Hanjiang valley at several times: ∼1.2, 0.9, ∼0.6, and ∼0.1 Ma. We propose that the Hanjiang River Valley was a probable hominin routeway through the QLM because many sites corresponding to these different phases were also discovered to the north of the QLM. Future study on the Hanjiang River Valley is important for verifying the hypothesis of an early human migration route between southern and northern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Loess deposits in the Eastern Qinling Mountains (central China) provide a detailed archive for reconstructing the paleoenvironment during early hominin occupation. The study of the loess deposits also provides a unique opportunity to understand Pleistocene atmospheric circulation in this transitional climatic zone. However, the provenance and formation of the loess deposits were not well understood until now. In this paper, we report on new geomorphologic investigations and depositional analyses of the loess deposits. The results suggest that Gobi deserts and drylands in northern and northwestern China were one of the dust sources. These loess deposits show similar geochemical composition as the average upper crust (UCC), and may indicate that they experienced multiple sedimentary processes, with the dust being well mixed before deposition. However, the higher 87Sr/86Sr ratios (between 0.719650 and 0.721043) and extremely low ɛNd(0) values (between −11.98 and −18.97), which are different from the typical loess of the Chinese Loess Plateau, demonstrate that proximal clastic sediments that were apparently derived from the weathered Qinling orogen bedrocks, form the other important source for the loess deposits. The chemical Index of Alteration [CIA = Al2O3/(Al2O3 + CaO* + Na2O + K2O) × 100] and Chemical Proxy of Alteration [CPA = 100 × Al2O3/(Al2O3 + Na2O)], both in molar proportions show that the loess has experienced intense pedogenesis. We conclude that the loess deposit has a mixed provenance. The palaeoclimate in the Eastern Qinling Mountains remained mild in the glacial periods due to the topography and unique geographic locations, providing a suitable place for hominine occupation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]