# Early Hominin Dispersal across the Qinling Mountains, China, during the Mid-Pleistocene Transition
## 2 Materials and Methods
### Chronological Study of the 55 Hominin Fossils and Paleolithic Sites
#### 2.2.3 Southern QMR  
There are five hominin fossil sites have been dated in the southern QMR. Regarding the Early Pleistocene, the Yunxian site is dated to about 0.87-0.83 Ma [81] and 0.936 Ma [33] via paleomagnetism; to about 0.581 Ma [82] via ESR dating; to about 0.8-0.785 Ma [34] and 1.0-0.78 Ma [35] via pedostrattigraphic correlation and paleomagnetism; and to about 1.1 Ma via the ESR/U-series joint dating [83]. And the Meipu site is dated to about 0.99-0.78 Ma via paleomagnetism [84]. Regarding the Middle Pleistocene, the early \({}^{26}\)Al/\({}^{10}\)Be burial age of the Bailong Cave site is 0.76 Ma [85]), the latest paleomagnetic age of the lower cultural layer is less than 0.78 Ma [86], and the ESR/U-series joint dating result date it to about 0.5 Ma [50]. In addition, the Huanglong Cave and Changyang Cave sites were occupied during the Late Pleistocene. In the Huanglong Cave site, the U-series ages of two rhinoceros teeth coeval with the hominin fossils are about 0.095 and 0.079 Ma [87], the U-series ages of a stalagmite is about 0.103 Ma, and the ESR age of a rhinoceros tooth is about 0.044 Ma [88]). The subsequent U-series age is about 0.1-0.057 Ma [89], the latest high-precision mass spectrometric U-series dating age is about 0.101-0.081 Ma [51], the latest \({}^{14}\)C age is about less than 0.001 Ma [90]. The Changyang Cave site in western Hubei Province was the first early _H Homo sapiens_ fossil site found in southern China. In 1986, [PERSON] et al. (1986) [91] determined that the \({}^{230}\)Th ages of two diecorrhinus teeth in the fossil layer were 0.196 and 0.194 Ma, respectively, and no scholar has studied the site since then. Therefore, the average age of 0.195 Ma is considered to be the age of the Changyang hominin fossil [92; 93]. Furthermore, the latest U-Th age is about 0.196-0.143 Ma [94]. In total, 33 Paleolithic sites are dated in the southern QMR. During the Early Pleistocene, the comprehensive dating results of pIRIR, paleomagnetism, and pedostrattigraphic correlation of the Longgangsi-3 and Wutaicun sites are about 1.2-0.71 and 0.98-0.95 Ma, respectively [32]; the paleomagnetic ages of the Yuelianghu, Guanmenyan, Wujiagou and Liubeijiuchang (the lower cultural layer) sites are about 1.0-0.8 Ma [95], 0.8 Ma [95], 0.8-0.7 Ma [96], and 0.8-0.7 Ma [96], respectively. Regarding the Middle Pleistocene, the comprehensive dating results of pIRIR, paleomagnetism, and pedostrattigraphic correlation of the Longgangsi-2 site date it to approximately 0.78 Ma for the lower artifact layer and approximately 0.70 Ma for the upper artifact layer [32]; the ESR age of the Shuangshu site is about 0.65-0.52 Ma [97]; the ages of the Yaochangwan and Luojiacun sites are both about 0.6 Ma [32; 46]: the age of the Longgangsi-1 site is about 0.58-0.07 Ma [7]; and the pIRIR ages of the Maling 2A and Jinshuihekou sites are 0.39-0.22 Ma [98] and over 0.15 Ma [99], respectively. TT-OSL dating has also been used for eight sites, including the Houfang site (about 0.15-0.8 Ma) [30; 35], Liangshancun site (about 0.19-0.14 Ma) [100], Lianfeng-1 site (about 0.15-0.07 Ma) [100], Lianfeng-2 site (about 0.17-0.11 Ma) [100], Chihe-1 site (about 0.15-0.11 Ma) [100], Chihe-2 site (about 0.16-0.11 Ma) [100], Jinkuangcun-2 site (about 0.17-0.08 Ma) [100], and Jinkuangcun-3 site (about 0.15-0.08 Ma) [100]. Regarding the Late Pleistocene, the age of the Quijahe site is about 0.13-0.1 Ma [100], the Erligou site is about 0.13-0.11 Ma [100], the Yangjiaping site is about 0.12-0.07 Ma [100], the Dishuijan site is about 0.11-0.05 Ma [35], and the Hejialiang site is about 0.09-0.07 Ma [46], all of which have been dated via TT-OSL. And the OSL ages of the Huoshiwa and Houshanpo sites are >0.05 Ma and >0.07 Ma, respectively [101]. In addition to the above sites, the TT-OSL age of the Luohansi-2 site in Zhongxiang basin is about 0.18-0.11 Ma, and the OSL age of the Luohansi-1 site in Zhongxiang basin is about 0.05-0.03 Ma [102].