Production of 26Al and 10Be via neutron reactions in SiO2 rocks: implications for burial dating related to the Cradle of Humankind–UNESCO World Heritage Site
Abstract The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site (COHWHS) in South Africa hosts one of the highest concentrations of hominin fossils globally. Burial Dating offers a unique opportunity to understand the formation and chronology of the complex chambers systems in the COHWHS, that is essential to reconstruct early human history, likely rooted in this region. This contribution presents the theoretical motivations and the experimental approach used to measure the production rate by neutrons of the 10 Be and 26 Al isotopes, used in the context of burial dating. In addition, the preliminary results from the measurement campaign carried out at the n_TOF facility at CERN are discussed.
Authors
- Sara Rabaglia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9050-7407)
- Nicholas Pieretti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9761-6407)
Institutions
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bologna (IT)
- University of Bologna (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry
- Published
- 2026-11-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-026-11170-x
- Primary Topic
- Nuclear Physics and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00