Paleoanthropology. Late Pliocene fossiliferous sedimentary record and the environmental context of early Homo from Afar, Ethiopia.
Science
; 347(6228): 1355-9, 2015 Mar 20.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-25739409
ABSTRACT
Sedimentary basins in eastern Africa preserve a record of continental rifting and contain important fossil assemblages for interpreting hominin evolution. However, the record of hominin evolution between 3 and 2.5 million years ago (Ma) is poorly documented in surface outcrops, particularly in Afar, Ethiopia. Here we present the discovery of a 2.84- to 2.58-million-year-old fossil and hominin-bearing sediments in the Ledi-Geraru research area of Afar, Ethiopia, that have produced the earliest record of the genus Homo. Vertebrate fossils record a faunal turnover indicative of more open and probably arid habitats than those reconstructed earlier in this region, which is in broad agreement with hypotheses addressing the role of environmental forcing in hominin evolution at this time. Geological analyses constrain depositional and structural models of Afar and date the LD 350-1 Homo mandible to 2.80 to 2.75 Ma.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Hominidae
/
Ecosystem
/
Geologic Sediments
/
Biological Evolution
Limits:
Animals
Country/Region as subject:
Africa
Language:
En
Journal:
Science
Year:
2015
Type:
Article