Paleoenvironmental and paleoecological reconstruction of a freshwater oasis in savannah grassland at FLK North, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania

被引:53
作者
Ashley, Gail M. [1 ]
Barboni, Doris [2 ]
Dominguez-Rodrigo, Manuel [3 ,8 ]
Bunn, Henry T. [4 ]
Mabulla, Audax Z. P. [5 ]
Diez-Martin, Fernando [6 ]
Barba, Rebeca [3 ]
Baquedano, Enrique [7 ,8 ]
机构
[1] Rutgers State Univ, Dept Earth & Planetary Sci, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA
[2] Univ Aix Marseille, CNRS, CEREGE, UMR6635, F-13545 Aix En Provence 4, France
[3] Univ Complutense Madrid, Dept Prehist, E-28040 Madrid, Spain
[4] Univ Wisconsin, Dept Anthropol, Madison, WI 53706 USA
[5] Univ Dar Es Salaam, Archaeol Unit, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
[6] Univ Valladolid, Dept Prehist & Archaeol, E-47011 Valladolid, Spain
[7] Museo Arqueol Reg Madrid, Madrid, Spain
[8] Museo Origenes, Inst Evoluc Africa, IDEA, Madrid 28005, Spain
关键词
Springs; Phytoliths; Hominins; Paleoenvironment; Groundwater forest; East Africa; Stable isotopes; NGORONGORO CRATER; LAND-USE; BED-I; LAKE; PLEISTOCENE; AFRICA; BASIN; CLIMATE; MARGIN; FLUCTUATIONS;
D O I
10.1016/j.yqres.2010.08.006
中图分类号
P9 [自然地理学];
学科分类号
0705 ; 070501 ;
摘要
The records of early hominins are commonly localized both temporally and spatially even in archaeologically rich basins like Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, The FLK North site was discovered in 1960, but the reason for the exact location of this dense concentration of fossils and stone tools on a lake-margin flat has not been explained. We present new geological and geochemical information from six excavations in upper Bed which revealed up to 1.4-m-thick carbonate deposits, attesting to the presence of freshwater springs in the area surrounding FLK North. The delta O-18 signatures of the tufa are typical for meteoric water that has evolved during evaporation. Tuff IF that caps the sequence was deposited on uneven topography with the highest area a low-relief ridge between two faults at the archaeological site and lowest areas being sites of groundwater discharge. The model proposed here is that rainfall on adjacent highlands was transported to the basin where faults acted as conduits for water. Similar hydrogeological settings at modern lakes Manyara and Eyasi, currently support lush groundwater forest and woodland despite arid climate. FLK North may have been an "oasis" offering freshwater and shelter for consuming meat by both carnivores and hominins. (C) 2010 University of Washington. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
引用
收藏
页码:333 / 343
页数:11
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