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Geological setting and age of Australopithecus sediba from southern Africa.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Dirks, PHGM; Kibii, JM; Kuhn, BF; Steininger, C; Churchill, SE; Kramers, JD; Pickering, R; Farber, DL; Mériaux, A-S; Herries, AIR; King, GCP ...
Published in: Science (New York, N.Y.)
April 2010

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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Published In

Science (New York, N.Y.)

DOI

EISSN

1095-9203

ISSN

0036-8075

Publication Date

April 2010

Volume

328

Issue

5975

Start / End Page

205 / 208

Related Subject Headings

  • South Africa
  • Radiometric Dating
  • Hominidae
  • Geological Phenomena
  • Geologic Sediments
  • General Science & Technology
  • Fossils
  • Animals
 

Citation

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Dirks, P. H. G. M., Kibii, J. M., Kuhn, B. F., Steininger, C., Churchill, S. E., Kramers, J. D., … Berger, L. R. (2010). Geological setting and age of Australopithecus sediba from southern Africa. Science (New York, N.Y.), 328(5975), 205–208. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1184950
Dirks, Paul H. G. M., Job M. Kibii, Brian F. Kuhn, Christine Steininger, Steven E. Churchill, Jan D. Kramers, Robyn Pickering, et al. “Geological setting and age of Australopithecus sediba from southern Africa.Science (New York, N.Y.) 328, no. 5975 (April 2010): 205–8. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1184950.
Dirks PHGM, Kibii JM, Kuhn BF, Steininger C, Churchill SE, Kramers JD, et al. Geological setting and age of Australopithecus sediba from southern Africa. Science (New York, NY). 2010 Apr;328(5975):205–8.
Dirks, Paul H. G. M., et al. “Geological setting and age of Australopithecus sediba from southern Africa.Science (New York, N.Y.), vol. 328, no. 5975, Apr. 2010, pp. 205–08. Epmc, doi:10.1126/science.1184950.
Dirks PHGM, Kibii JM, Kuhn BF, Steininger C, Churchill SE, Kramers JD, Pickering R, Farber DL, Mériaux A-S, Herries AIR, King GCP, Berger LR. Geological setting and age of Australopithecus sediba from southern Africa. Science (New York, NY). 2010 Apr;328(5975):205–208.
Journal cover image

Published In

Science (New York, N.Y.)

DOI

EISSN

1095-9203

ISSN

0036-8075

Publication Date

April 2010

Volume

328

Issue

5975

Start / End Page

205 / 208

Related Subject Headings

  • South Africa
  • Radiometric Dating
  • Hominidae
  • Geological Phenomena
  • Geologic Sediments
  • General Science & Technology
  • Fossils
  • Animals