Marine archaeologists have released a report in Marine Archaeology Academic detailing the results of Thorium-230 dating on submerged coral-stone foundations discovered off the coast of Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu. The analysis dates the structural elements to approximately 12,000 BCE, suggesting the existence of organized coastal infrastructure significantly older than previously known maritime civilizations.
The researchers argue that these foundations were part of a specialized maritime trading hub that was eventually inundated by post-glacial sea-level rise. The precision of the Thorium dating methodology eliminates the uncertainty often associated with carbon-14 in marine environments, providing definitive proof of advanced stone-working and maritime planning in the terminal Pleistocene.