A chronological framework for the British Quaternary based on Bithynia opercula

The British Quaternary, spanning roughly the past 2.6 million years, is unmatched for the biodiversity and abundance of its fossil localities and its record of climatic contrasts. However, with all but the most recent deposits beyond radiocarbon range, and with no readily datable volcanic rocks, it has been difficult to get accurate dates for many British Pleistocene deposits. Penkman et al. have developed new analytical methods based on the intra-crystalline proteins of stable biominerals (in the 'opercula' shell closure of the freshwater gastropod Bithynia), common in Quaternary deposits. They obtain confident assignments for various strata to global marine isotope stages, securely placing Britain's rich record of faunal and archaeological change into a broader context.