O'Leary, Michael, Benjamin, Jonathan, McDonald, Jo, Ulm, Sean, and Bailey, Geoff (2026) Stone artefacts on submerged land surfaces: A response to Larcombe et al. Geomorphology, 492. 110053.

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Abstract

Larcombe et al. (2025) challenge the work of the Deep History of Sea Country team regarding the provenance and mobility of lithic artefacts on the seafloor of Murujuga, Northwestern Australia. They propose that these artefacts were originally deposited on terrestrial Holocene landforms, and subsequently transported into the marine environment, challenging our interpretation of primary deposition on pre-inundation land surfaces.

The authors largely base their conclusions on a hydrodynamic model and a 32-year satellite-derived shoreline dataset. Here we highlight the critical shortcomings in their approach including the application of a low resolution and poorly validated regional hydrodynamic model to infer current speeds at the local site level and by extension the transport of lithic artefacts at the seabed, and the analysis and interpretation of satellite derived shorelines which, when scrutinised, were found to be unrepresentative of real-world conditions.

By emphasizing the importance of rigorous field validation and contextual site analyses, we reaffirm the preservation and integrity of Murujuga's underwater cultural heritage, while challenging the scientific rigor of the conclusions presented by Larcombe et al.

Item ID:	89190
Item Type:	Article (Commentary)
ISSN:	1872-695X
Keywords:	archaeology; geomorphology; hydrodynamics; sedimentology
Copyright Information:	© 2025 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Date Deposited:	16 Oct 2025 07:18
FoR Codes:	43 HISTORY, HERITAGE AND ARCHAEOLOGY > 4301 Archaeology > 430101 Archaeological science @ 50% 45 INDIGENOUS STUDIES > 4501 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, language and history > 450101 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander archaeology @ 50%
SEO Codes:	21 INDIGENOUS > 2104 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage and culture > 210401 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artefacts @ 50% 13 CULTURE AND SOCIETY > 1307 Understanding past societies > 130703 Understanding Australia’s past @ 50%
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