Coral yields precise Polynesian arrival date Accurate method
Researchers have dated ancient coral tools in Tonga to pin down
the most precise date for human settlement of Polynesia yet. The
research is published today in PLoS ONE. "We've been able to
date the founding population of Polynesia to within a very
narrow window of 16 years," says archaeologist Professor
Marshall Weisler of the University of Queensland. Polynesia
consists of all the islands in the triangular area defined by
Hawaii in the north, New Zealand in the south and Easter Island
in the east. It is believed to be the last place on Earth to
become inhabited by humans. People known as Lapita, the creators
of distinctive pottery, have previously been estimated to have
arrived in Tonga sometime around 3000 years ago. The most
precise arrival date so far has come from radiocarbon dating of
charcoal excavated from the village of Nukuleka, but this gives
a 178-year window between 2769 and 2947 years ago. Weisler
proposed using another dating method