Geological setting and age of australopithecus sediba from southern africa

Paul H.G.M. Dirks; Job M. Kibii; Brian F. Kuhn; Christine Steininger; Steven E. Churchill; Jan D. Kramers; Robyn Pickering; Daniel L. Farber; Anne Sophie Mériaux; Andy I.R. Herries; Geoffrey C.P. King; Lee R. Berger

doi:10.1126/science.1184950

Geological setting and age of australopithecus sediba from southern africa

Paul H.G.M. Dirks
, Job M. Kibii
, Brian F. Kuhn
, Christine Steininger
, Steven E. Churchill
, Jan D. Kramers
, Robyn Pickering
, Daniel L. Farber
, Anne Sophie Mériaux
, Andy I.R. Herries
, Geoffrey C.P. King
, Lee R. Berger

Geology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

165 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We describe the geological, geochronological, geomorphological, and faunal context of the Malapa site and the fossils of Australopithecus sediba. The hominins occur with a macrofauna assemblage that existed in Africa between 2.36 and 1.50 million years ago (Ma). The fossils are encased in water-laid, clastic sediments that were deposited along the lower parts of what is now a deeply eroded cave system, immediately above a flowstone layer with a U-Pb date of 2.026 ± 0.021 Ma. The flowstone has a reversed paleomagnetic signature and the overlying hominin-bearing sediments are of normal polarity, indicating deposition during the 1.95- to 1.78-Ma Olduvai Subchron. The two hominin specimens were buried together in a single debris flow that lithified soon after deposition in a phreatic environment inaccessible to scavengers.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	205-208
Number of pages	4
Journal	Science
Volume	328
Issue number	5975
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1184950
Publication status	Published - 9 Apr 2010

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Multidisciplinary

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@article{e1decbbf49a241d6b54af56f1d4940f7,

title = "Geological setting and age of australopithecus sediba from southern africa",

abstract = "We describe the geological, geochronological, geomorphological, and faunal context of the Malapa site and the fossils of Australopithecus sediba. The hominins occur with a macrofauna assemblage that existed in Africa between 2.36 and 1.50 million years ago (Ma). The fossils are encased in water-laid, clastic sediments that were deposited along the lower parts of what is now a deeply eroded cave system, immediately above a flowstone layer with a U-Pb date of 2.026 ± 0.021 Ma. The flowstone has a reversed paleomagnetic signature and the overlying hominin-bearing sediments are of normal polarity, indicating deposition during the 1.95- to 1.78-Ma Olduvai Subchron. The two hominin specimens were buried together in a single debris flow that lithified soon after deposition in a phreatic environment inaccessible to scavengers.",

author = "Dirks, \{Paul H.G.M.\} and Kibii, \{Job M.\} and Kuhn, \{Brian F.\} and Christine Steininger and Churchill, \{Steven E.\} and Kramers, \{Jan D.\} and Robyn Pickering and Farber, \{Daniel L.\} and M{\'e}riaux, \{Anne Sophie\} and Herries, \{Andy I.R.\} and King, \{Geoffrey C.P.\} and Berger, \{Lee R.\}",

year = "2010",

month = apr,

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doi = "10.1126/science.1184950",

language = "English",

volume = "328",

pages = "205--208",

journal = "Science",

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AU - Dirks, Paul H.G.M.

AU - Kibii, Job M.

AU - Kuhn, Brian F.

AU - Steininger, Christine

AU - Churchill, Steven E.

AU - Kramers, Jan D.

AU - Pickering, Robyn

AU - Farber, Daniel L.

AU - Mériaux, Anne Sophie

AU - Herries, Andy I.R.

AU - King, Geoffrey C.P.

AU - Berger, Lee R.

PY - 2010/4/9

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AB - We describe the geological, geochronological, geomorphological, and faunal context of the Malapa site and the fossils of Australopithecus sediba. The hominins occur with a macrofauna assemblage that existed in Africa between 2.36 and 1.50 million years ago (Ma). The fossils are encased in water-laid, clastic sediments that were deposited along the lower parts of what is now a deeply eroded cave system, immediately above a flowstone layer with a U-Pb date of 2.026 ± 0.021 Ma. The flowstone has a reversed paleomagnetic signature and the overlying hominin-bearing sediments are of normal polarity, indicating deposition during the 1.95- to 1.78-Ma Olduvai Subchron. The two hominin specimens were buried together in a single debris flow that lithified soon after deposition in a phreatic environment inaccessible to scavengers.

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SP - 205

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JO - Science

JF - Science

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ER -

Geological setting and age of australopithecus sediba from southern africa

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