Radiocarbon Dates from the Ice-Free Corridor

Abstract

The Ice-Free Corridor has been hypothesized as the main migration route into the Americas since the 1930s. Radiocarbon dates have been used by archaeology, geology, and palynology to date the corridor. A total of 564 14C dates ranging between 20,000 and 8000 BP from the corridor area were gleaned from the published literature. After assessing these dates for suitability, 255 were plotted over four time periods. The results indicate that the corridor was not feasible as an early human migration route until after 11,000 BP, or after the appearance of Clovis south of the continental glaciers.