Magnetochronology of the Feiliang Paleolithic site in the Nihewan Basin and implications for early human adaptability to high northern latitudes in East Asia

We present a new magnetostratigraphic dating of the Feiliang Paleolithic site in the Nihewan Basin, northern China. Partially-oxidized magnetite and hematite were identified as the main carriers for the characteristic remanent magnetizations of the fluvio-lacustrine sediments. Paleomagnetic results suggest that the sequence recorded the very early Brunhes chron and the upper Matuyama chron, including the Jaramillo subchron. The Feiliang artifact layer was determined to be within the pre- Jaramillo Matuyama chron, with an estimated age of ca. 1.2 Ma. Our finding, coupled with previously published magnetochronology, strongly indicates a prominent early human flourishing in the high northern latitudes of East Asia during or just prior to the Mid- Pleistocene climate transition.