New geochemical data on tephra samples from a layer present at several
archeological sites in India support correlation of this layer to the
Youngest Toba Tuff, erupted from northern Sumatra about 74,000 yr ago
, The data show that the Indian tephra layer is not a correlative of o
lder tephra erupted from Toba, as has been suggested on the basis of a
rtifact assemblages, Previously published geochemical data on the Indi
an tephra beds was based on bulk ash samples containing mineral and cl
ay contaminants, and the resulting variability in analyses did not all
ow identification or discrimination of individual eruptive events, Our
new data were collected on individual glass shards and small, purifie
d glass separates which have greater resolving power in fingerprinting
, Acheulian and Paleolithic artifacts found at some of the Indian teph
ra sites do not reflect the antiquity of the tephra bed, as they occur
in fluvial sediments and may be reworked. (C) 1995 University at Wash
ington.