Directly Dating Plio‐Pleistocene Climate Change in the Terrestrial Record

Accurate chronology of climatic shifts is critical to understand the controls on landscape and species evolution. Unfortunately, direct dating continental climate change hindered by scarcity dateable terrestrial products evidencing shifts. Here we use ferruginous indurations from arid landscapes Nullarbor Plain in southern Australia constrain timing Plio-Pleistocene aridification realm. We present (U-Th)/He goethite data implying active induration processes between c. 2.7 2.4 Ma. Chemical-mineralogical petrographic examination suggests that formation was linked with a decline groundwater table, driven rapid shift humid late Pliocene early Pleistocene conditions. Combined local global proxies, conclude are promising targets obtain absolute ages evolution refine improve understanding environmental drivers diversification extinction.