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Age and context of the oldest known hominin fossils from Flores

Brumm, Adam; van den Bergh, Gerrit D; Storey, Michael; Kurniawan, Iwan; Alloway, Brent V; Setiawan, Ruly; Setiyabudi, Erick; Grün, Rainer; Moore, Mark W; Yurnaldi, Dida; Puspaningrum, Mika R; Wibowo, Unggul P; Insani, Halmi; Sutisna, Indra; Westgate, John A; Pearce, Nick J G; Duval, Mathieu; Meijer, Hanneke J M; Aziz, Fachroel; Sutikna, Thomas; van der Kaars, Sander; Flude, Stephanie; Morwood, Michael J

Description

Recent excavations at the early Middle Pleistocene site of Mata Menge in the So'a Basin of central Flores, Indonesia, have yielded hominin fossils attributed to a population ancestral to Late Pleistocene Homo floresiensis. Here we describe the age and context of the Mata Menge hominin specimens and associated archaeological findings. The fluvial sandstone layer from which the in situ fossils were excavated in 2014 was deposited in a small valley stream around 700 thousand years ago, as...[Show more]

dc.contributor.authorBrumm, Adam
dc.contributor.authorvan den Bergh, Gerrit D
dc.contributor.authorStorey, Michael
dc.contributor.authorKurniawan, Iwan
dc.contributor.authorAlloway, Brent V
dc.contributor.authorSetiawan, Ruly
dc.contributor.authorSetiyabudi, Erick
dc.contributor.authorGrün, Rainer
dc.contributor.authorMoore, Mark W
dc.contributor.authorYurnaldi, Dida
dc.contributor.authorPuspaningrum, Mika R
dc.contributor.authorWibowo, Unggul P
dc.contributor.authorInsani, Halmi
dc.contributor.authorSutisna, Indra
dc.contributor.authorWestgate, John A
dc.contributor.authorPearce, Nick J G
dc.contributor.authorDuval, Mathieu
dc.contributor.authorMeijer, Hanneke J M
dc.contributor.authorAziz, Fachroel
dc.contributor.authorSutikna, Thomas
dc.contributor.authorvan der Kaars, Sander
dc.contributor.authorFlude, Stephanie
dc.contributor.authorMorwood, Michael J
dc.date.accessioned2016-08-26T06:11:59Z
dc.date.available2016-08-26T06:11:59Z
dc.identifier.issn0028-0836
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/107325
dc.description.abstractRecent excavations at the early Middle Pleistocene site of Mata Menge in the So'a Basin of central Flores, Indonesia, have yielded hominin fossils attributed to a population ancestral to Late Pleistocene Homo floresiensis. Here we describe the age and context of the Mata Menge hominin specimens and associated archaeological findings. The fluvial sandstone layer from which the in situ fossils were excavated in 2014 was deposited in a small valley stream around 700 thousand years ago, as indicated by (40)Ar/(39)Ar and fission track dates on stratigraphically bracketing volcanic ash and pyroclastic density current deposits, in combination with coupled uranium-series and electron spin resonance dating of fossil teeth. Palaeoenvironmental data indicate a relatively dry climate in the So'a Basin during the early Middle Pleistocene, while various lines of evidence suggest the hominins inhabited a savannah-like open grassland habitat with a wetland component. The hominin fossils occur alongside the remains of an insular fauna and a simple stone technology that is markedly similar to that associated with Late Pleistocene H. floresiensis.
dc.publisherNature Publishing Group
dc.rights© 2016 Macmillan Publishers Limited
dc.sourceNature
dc.subjectanimals
dc.subjectargon
dc.subjectclimate
dc.subjectelectron spin resonance spectroscopy
dc.subjectgrassland
dc.subjecthistory, ancient
dc.subjectindonesia
dc.subjectradioisotopes
dc.subjecttool use behavior
dc.subjecttooth
dc.subjectvolcanic eruptions
dc.subjectwetlands
dc.subjectarchaeology
dc.subjectenvironment
dc.subjectfossils
dc.subjecthominidae
dc.subjectradiometric dating
dc.titleAge and context of the oldest known hominin fossils from Flores
dc.typeJournal article
local.identifier.citationvolume534
dc.date.issued2016-06-09
local.identifier.ariespublicationU3488905xPUB19765
local.publisher.urlhttp://www.nature.com/index.html
local.type.statusPublished Version
local.contributor.affiliationGrün, R., Earth Environment, Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University
local.description.embargo2037-12-31
local.identifier.essn1476-4687
local.bibliographicCitation.issue7606
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage249
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage253
local.identifier.doi10.1038/nature17663
CollectionsANU Research Publications

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