Book contents
- African Paleoecology and Human Evolution
- African Paleoecology and Human Evolution
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Part I Modern Africa and Overview of Late Cenozoic Paleoenvironments
- Part II Southern Africa
- Part III Eastern and Central Africa
- 15 Hominid Paleoenvironments in Tropical Africa from the Late Miocene to the Early Pleistocene
- 16 Mammal Paleoecology from the Late Early Pleistocene Sites of the Dandiero Basin (Eritrea), With Emphasis on the Suid Record
- 17 The 6-Million-Year Record of Ecological and Environmental Change at Gona, Afar Region, Ethiopia
- 18 The Hadar Formation, Afar Regional State, Ethiopia: Geology, Fauna, and Paleoenvironmental Reconstructions
- 19 Fossil Vertebrates and Paleoenvironments of the Pliocene Hadar Formation at Dikika, Ethiopia
- 20 Miocene to Pliocene Stratigraphy and Paleoecology of Galili, Ethiopia
- 21 Melka Kunture, Ethiopia: Early Pleistocene Faunas of the Ethiopian Highlands
- 22 Early Pleistocene Fauna and Paleoenvironments at Konso, Ethiopia
- 23 Paleontology and Geology of the Mursi Formation
- 24 Mammalian Diversity Patterns and Paleoecology in the Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia
- 25 Paleoecology and Paleoenvironments of Early Quaternary Faunal Assemblages from the Nachukui Formation in Kenya: Insights from the West Turkana Archeological Project
- 26 Early Hominins and Paleoecology of the Koobi Fora Formation, Lake Turkana Basin, Kenya
- 27 Early Pliocene Faunal Assemblages from the Tugen Hills, Kenya: A Comparison of Field Collection Methods and Some Implications for Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction
- 28 The Southern Chemeron Formation, Tugen Hills, Kenya: A Review and a Paleoecological Analysis of the Bovid Fauna
- 29 Fauna and Paleoenvironments of the Homa Peninsula, Western Kenya
- 30 Mammalian Fauna of the Olorgesailie Basin and Southern Kenya Rift
- 31 Context and Environments of the Lower Pleistocene Hominins of Peninj, Tanzania
- 32 Paleoecology and Vertebrate Taphonomy of DK Site (Bed I), Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
- 33 Lower Bed II Olduvai Basin, Tanzania: Wetland Sedge Taphonomy, Seasonal Pasture, and Implications for Hominin Scavenging
- 34 Paleoecology of Laetoli, Tanzania
- 35 The Paleoenvironment of the Plio-Pleistocene Chiwondo Beds of Northern Malawi
- Part IV Northern Africa
- Volume References
- Index
- Plate Section (PDF Only)
17 - The 6-Million-Year Record of Ecological and Environmental Change at Gona, Afar Region, Ethiopia
from Part III - Eastern and Central Africa
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 May 2022
Book contents
- African Paleoecology and Human Evolution
- African Paleoecology and Human Evolution
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Part I Modern Africa and Overview of Late Cenozoic Paleoenvironments
- Part II Southern Africa
- Part III Eastern and Central Africa
- 15 Hominid Paleoenvironments in Tropical Africa from the Late Miocene to the Early Pleistocene
- 16 Mammal Paleoecology from the Late Early Pleistocene Sites of the Dandiero Basin (Eritrea), With Emphasis on the Suid Record
- 17 The 6-Million-Year Record of Ecological and Environmental Change at Gona, Afar Region, Ethiopia
- 18 The Hadar Formation, Afar Regional State, Ethiopia: Geology, Fauna, and Paleoenvironmental Reconstructions
- 19 Fossil Vertebrates and Paleoenvironments of the Pliocene Hadar Formation at Dikika, Ethiopia
- 20 Miocene to Pliocene Stratigraphy and Paleoecology of Galili, Ethiopia
- 21 Melka Kunture, Ethiopia: Early Pleistocene Faunas of the Ethiopian Highlands
- 22 Early Pleistocene Fauna and Paleoenvironments at Konso, Ethiopia
- 23 Paleontology and Geology of the Mursi Formation
- 24 Mammalian Diversity Patterns and Paleoecology in the Lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia
- 25 Paleoecology and Paleoenvironments of Early Quaternary Faunal Assemblages from the Nachukui Formation in Kenya: Insights from the West Turkana Archeological Project
- 26 Early Hominins and Paleoecology of the Koobi Fora Formation, Lake Turkana Basin, Kenya
- 27 Early Pliocene Faunal Assemblages from the Tugen Hills, Kenya: A Comparison of Field Collection Methods and Some Implications for Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction
- 28 The Southern Chemeron Formation, Tugen Hills, Kenya: A Review and a Paleoecological Analysis of the Bovid Fauna
- 29 Fauna and Paleoenvironments of the Homa Peninsula, Western Kenya
- 30 Mammalian Fauna of the Olorgesailie Basin and Southern Kenya Rift
- 31 Context and Environments of the Lower Pleistocene Hominins of Peninj, Tanzania
- 32 Paleoecology and Vertebrate Taphonomy of DK Site (Bed I), Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
- 33 Lower Bed II Olduvai Basin, Tanzania: Wetland Sedge Taphonomy, Seasonal Pasture, and Implications for Hominin Scavenging
- 34 Paleoecology of Laetoli, Tanzania
- 35 The Paleoenvironment of the Plio-Pleistocene Chiwondo Beds of Northern Malawi
- Part IV Northern Africa
- Volume References
- Index
- Plate Section (PDF Only)
Summary
The rift setting of eastern Africa preserves exceptional records of mammalian (including hominin) fossils and archeology. The Afar region is host to multiple deposits with sediments ranging in age from>9 Ma to the present (Chorowicz, 2005; Katoh et al., 2016) and plays a major role in our understanding of human origins. The Gona project area contains fossiliferous deposits that span ca. 6.3 to <0.15 Ma (Quade et al., 2008); the duration of this record means that it can make a distinct contribution to understanding the environmental context for human evolution within the Afar and in eastern Africa (Figures 17.1 and 17.2). The primary units at Gona include the late Miocene Adu-Asa Formation, which contains fossils of Ardipithecus kaddaba; the early Pliocene Sagantole Formation with fossils of Ardipithecus ramidus; the mid- to late-Pliocene Hadar Formation; and the Busidima Formation (ca. 2.7 Ma to <0.15 Ma), which contains a record of the earliest Oldowan stone tools, fossils of Homo erectus, and Acheulean artifacts (Figure 17.2).
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- African Paleoecology and Human Evolution , pp. 197 - 213Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022
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