Dating
The complex geology of Sterkfontein makes precise dating of Stw 573 difficult. There are no volcanic tuffs to ensure accurate radiometric dating, and the paleomagnetic sequences are incomplete. Further to this, there has been considerable debate in the scientific literature as to how old Stw 573 is. Estimates range from almost 4 Ma based on cosmogenic 26Al and 10Be radiometric dating to 2.2 Ma based on uranium-lead dating. A magnetochronology estimate places the fossil at about 3.3 Ma.
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“We go on dating from Cold Fridays and Great Snows; but a little colder Friday, or greater snow would put a period to man’s existence on the globe.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)