Geological, Isotopic, Botanical, Invertebrate, and Lower Vertebrate Surroundings of Ardipithecus ramidus

Sediments containing Ardipithecus ramidus were deposited 4.4 million years ago on an alluvial floodplain in Ethiopia's western Afar rift. The Lower Aramis Member hominid-bearing unit, now exposed across a >9-kilometer structural arc, is sandwiched between two volcanic tuffs that have nearly...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2009-10, Vol.326 (5949), p.65-65
Main Authors: WoldeGabriel, Giday, Ambrose, Stanley H, Barboni, Doris, Bonnefille, Raymonde, Bremond, Laurent, Currie, Brian, DeGusta, David, Hart, William K, Murray, Alison M, Renne, Paul R, Jolly-Saad, M.C, Stewart, Kathlyn M, White, Tim D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Astronomical maps
Bioclimatology
Botanics
Earth Sciences
Ecology, environment
Ecosystems
Forest habitats
Fossils
Geology
Hominids
Invertebrata
Invertebrates
Lakes
Life Sciences
Paleontology
Plants
Rivers
Rocks
Sciences of the Universe
Sedimentation & deposition
Sediments
Special Section: Ardipithecus Ramidus
Stratigraphy
Vegetal Biology
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Summary:Sediments containing Ardipithecus ramidus were deposited 4.4 million years ago on an alluvial floodplain in Ethiopia's western Afar rift. The Lower Aramis Member hominid-bearing unit, now exposed across a >9-kilometer structural arc, is sandwiched between two volcanic tuffs that have nearly identical ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages. Geological data presented here, along with floral, invertebrate, and vertebrate paleontological and taphonomic evidence associated with the hominids, suggest that they occupied a wooded biotope over the western three-fourths of the paleotransect. Phytoliths and oxygen and carbon stable isotopes of pedogenic carbonates provide evidence of humid cool woodlands with a grassy substrate.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1175817