DOCSLIB.ORG

38Feedab6371723ea79afd17efe

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
38Feedab6371723ea79afd17efe Indonesian Journal on Geoscience Vol. 5 No. 3 December 2018: 221-234 INDONESIAN JOURNAL ON GEOSCIENCE Geological Agency Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Journal homepage: hp://ijog.geologi.esdm.go.id ISSN 2355-9314, e-ISSN 2355-9306 The Magnetostratigraphy and the Age of So’a Basin Fossil-Bearing Sequence, Flores, Indonesia Dida Yurnaldi, Ruly Setiawan, and Emma Yan Patriani Centre for Geological Survey, Geological Agency Jln. Diponegoro no 57 Bandung - 40122 Corresponding author: [email protected] Manuscript received: November, 07, 2017; revised: January, 08, 2018; approved: June, 05, 2018; available online: November, 19, 2018 Abstract - Three fossil-bearing intervals have been recognized in the Pleistocene So’a Basin, with the upper one holding important evidence of hominin fossils. The sequence also contains numerous in situ stone artifacts and fossils of other vertebrate taxa. Therefore, multiple dating techniques are crucial to secure the age of the fossil and artifact- bearing layers, especially the one with the hominin remains. This paper deals with the palaeomagnetic dating of the So’a Basin sequence to assist other dating methods that have been applied, and to refine the chronostratigraphy of the area. Palaeomagnetic sampling was conducted in four sections along a west to east transect. Four magnetozones can be recognized, consisting of two reverse and two normal polarity zones. By using the available radiometric ages as a guide and comparing the So’a Basin magnetostratigraphy with the Standard Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale (GPTS), it became clear that both reverse magnetozones are part of the Matuyama Chron, while the normal magnetozones are the Jaramillo subchron and the Brunhes Chron. These palaeomagnetic dating results support the available radiometric dates and refine the age of the fossil-bearing deposits of the So’a Basin. Keywords: Palaeomagnetic, Homo floresiensis, hominin, dating, polarity, rock magnetics © IJOG - 2018. All right reserved How to cite this article: Yurnaldi, D., Setiawan, R., and Patriyani, E.Y., 2018. The Magnetostratigraphy and the Age of So’a Basin Fossil-Bearing Sequence, Flores, Indonesia. Indonesian Journal on Geoscience, 5 (3), p.221-234. DOI: 10.17014/ijog.5.3.221-234 Introduction fossils, which are estimated to be c. 700,000 years old (Brumm et al., 2016). In order to refine the Recently, a mandible fragment and six hominin chronostratigraphy of the So’a Basin sequence teeth were recovered from one of the fossil-bearing and to allow basin-wide cross correlation, palaeo- strata in the So’a Basin, Flores, Indonesia. These magnetic sampling and analysis were carried out specimens are relatively similar to the holo-type on four stratigraphic sections. The combination of Homo floresiensisIJOG from Liang Bua, except the of palaeomagnetic dating and other radiometric size which is slightly smaller and the mandibular dating techniques has widely been used and first molar that has more primitive characteristics proven to be successful for dating archaeo- and than the Liang Bua specimens (van den Bergh et palaeontological sites around the world, for al., 2016a; see also Brown and Maeda, 2009). example: the Koobi Fora site (Lepre and Kent, Multiple dating methods were applied to 2010), Sterkfontein Cave (Herries et al., 2010), determine the age of these important hominin and the Melka Kunture site (Tamrat et al., 2014) Accredited by: - LIPI, valid August 2016 - August 2021 Indexed by: Scopus - RISTEKDIKTI, valid May 2016 - May 2021 221 Indonesian Journal on Geoscience, Vol. 5 No. 3 December 2018: 221-234 in Africa, the Ceprano- Fontana Ranuccio site up to 5° to the south (Hartono, 1961; O’Sullivan (Muttoni et al., 2009) and the Poiana Cireşului et al., 2001; Suminto et al., 2009). The Ola Bula site in Europe (Zeeden et al., 2009), and the Ni- Formation unconformably overlies the Ola Kile hewan Basin (Zuo et al., 2011; Ao et al., 2013) Formation and fills much of the basin with an up in Asia. In Indonesia, palaeomagnetic dating was to 100 m thick sequence. It consists of relatively used to date the Sangiran site in Java (Hyodo et undisturbed and horizontally bedded volcanic al., 1993; 2011) and The Talipu site in Sulawesi and sedimentary deposits, which started to in- (van den Bergh et al., 2016b). Magnetostratigra- fill the basin during the Late Pliocene or Early phy was applied to better constrain of the numeric Pleistocene (Murouka et al., 2002; Suminto et ages and to complement other dating methods, al., 2009). The Ola Bula Formation is divided into including Fission-Track, Argon-Argon, Electron three lithological members, from old to young: Spin Resonance, and optical dating techniques. the Tuff Member, the Sandstone Member, and the Limestone Member (Hartono, 1961; van den Geological, Palaeontological, and Geochrono- Bergh, 1999; and Suminto et al., 2009 - Figure 2). logical Context of The So’a Basin Three main fossil-bearing intervals have been The So’a Basin is located in the central recognized within the Ola Bula sequence. The part of Flores, almost entirely surrounded by oldest fossiliferous layers are developed within mountains and active volcanoes (Figure 1). It the Tuff Member, which has its most complete is drained by the Ae Sissa River, which empties development near the Tangi Talo site in the the basin through a deeply incised gorge to the central and deepest part of the basin. The fossil northeast, and forms a delta plain on the north fauna from this level consists of a dwarfed extinct coast (O’Sullivan et al., 2001; Suminto et al., elephant (Stegodon sondaari), a giant tortoise, 2009). The basin basement consists of the Ola and Varanuskomodoensis, but the site has not Kile Formation comprising massive and resis- yielded any stone artifact (Sondaar et al., 1994; tant andesitic breccias interbedded with minor Aziz et al., 2009). Two fossil intervals higher up tuffaceous siltstones, sandstones, and lava flows. in the sequence lie within the Sandstone Member It had been tilted by tectonic activity which dips and can be found at the Mata Menge site. Both 120o53’51” E 121o22’36” E So’a Basin < 400 m 32’58” S 32’58” S o o 8 8 Keli Esu s a is S e Welas Caldera 2 A 400 - 1000 m 4 Kelilambo So’a < < < < 1000 - 2000 m 1 3 > 2000 m Bajawa Boawae Kelindora Ambulobo Active volcano Inactive volcano Inirie Town Sawu Sea < Excavation/Trench 1 = Mata Menge 3 = Tangi Talo 0 km 10 20 2 = Wolo Sege 4 = Gero 58’56” S 58’56” S IJOG N o o 8 8 120o53’51” E 121o22’36” E INDONESIA Flores Komodo 8 River Liang Bua Ruteng Bajawa Ende Maumere 19 Soa Basin Boundary of 0 km 100 So’a Basin sequence 120 122 124 10 Figure 1. The four site locations of the So’a Basin that were sampled for this study (map modified after van den Bergh, 2010). 222 The Magnetostratigraphy and the Age of So’a Basin Fossil-Bearing Sequence, Flores, Indonesia (D. Yurnaldi et al.) Stratigra- Vertebrate fauna Age Lithology phic Unit & stone tools ime (Ma) T Recent Holocene volcanics & Tuffaceous sands and silts; lava flows alluvium gravels, sands, and silts. Hiatus 0.65 Thin-bedded micritic ftreshwater limestone and tuffaceous silts; minor tuffaceous sands. Member Limestone Tuffaceous sands and silts; debris flows; sheet flow deposit; conglomerates; Stegodon florensis minor white tuffs; Varanus komodoensis increasingly fine-grained in upper part. Hooijeromys nusatenggara Ola Bula Fm Small crocodile Sandstone Member 0.80 Large crocodile Stone artefacts 0.88 Early to Middle Pleistocene White and pink pumice tuffs and Stegodon sondari tuffaceous silts and sands; Varanus komodoensis Giant tortoise f Member minor fluvial channels. uf Small crocodile 0.94 T Hiatus 1.8 Andesitic breccia + minor tuffaceous Fm. silts and sands. Ola Kile Late Pliocene Figure 2. Generalized lithostratigraphy of the So’a Basin (after Suminto et al., 1999). levels contain the remains of a larger Stegodon recognized throughout the basin, including at the (Stegodon florensis), a giant rat (Hooijeromys Tangi Talo site, where it occurs at ~20 m above nusatenggara), Komodo dragon (Varanus komo- the Tangi Talo fossil bearing layer. Therefore, the doensis), unidentified crocodilian remains, and Tangi Talo fossil bearing layer could be much stone artifacts (Sondaar et al., 1994; van den Bergh older than ~0.9 Ma. 1999; van den Bergh et al., 2009; Brumm et al., In 2016, the Mata Menge two fossil-bearing 2016). In addition, the upper level has yielded the layers have been dated as well. Both fossil intervals remains of a small-sized hominin, and thought to occur above the WSI, indicating that they must be be the ancestral form of Homo floresiensis (van younger than ~1.02 Ma. Ages of the lower fossil den Bergh et al., 2016). interval lie between ~0.88 Ma and ~0.8 Ma, based Dates have come from multiple methods. Pre- on the fission-track dating of two sampled levels, viously, the Tangi TaloIJOG fossil assemblage was es- one directly below and one associated with the timated to be 0.9 Ma old based on palaeomagnetic fossil bearing layer (O’Sullivan et al., 2001). The and fission track dating (Sondaar et al., 1994; upper fossil-bearing interval, containing hominin Morwood et al., 1998). More recently, 40Ar/39Ar remains, has an age estimate based on its strati- dating by Brumm et al. (2010) of a widespread graphic position, because no direct dating associ- ignimbrite marker bed yielded an age of ~1.02 ated with this sedimentary layer. The hominin layer ma. This Wolo Sege ignimbrite (WSI) can be occurs 12.5 m above the level that yielded the F-T 223 Indonesian Journal on Geoscience, Vol. 5 No. 3 December 2018: 221-234 date of ~0.8 Ma and 13.5 m below a tephra layer a magnetic stirrer for SEM-EDX purposes.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Homo Floresiensis
    Homo floresiensis CHARLES J. VELLA 2016 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE DOCENTS GROUP DOWNLOADABLE AT WEBSITE: WWW.CHARLESJVELLAPHD.COM THANKS: L. AIELLO, D. FALK, G. HURLEY Every once in a while, there comes to light a fossil that shakes the foundation of paleoanthropology to its very core and forces us to reconsider what we thought we knew about human evolution. —Donald C. Johanson, Lucy’s Legacy This applies to Homo floresiensis Flores legend of Ebu Gogo There were legends about the existence of little people on the island of Flores, Indonesia. They were called the Ebu Gogo. The islanders describe Ebu Gogo as being about one meter tall, hairy and prone to "murmuring" to each other in some form of language. Discovery 2003 Homo floresiensis, (“the hobbit,”) found in a late Pleistocene context at the cave of Liang Bua by Michael Morwood’s group 2003: Associated with a core and flake assemblage that extended back to ca 95 ka LB1 originally dated to 38 to 13 ka; Lived there from 74 to 17 ka according to original conclusions. An arm bone provisionally assigned to H. floresiensis is about 74,000 years old 2016: new geological assessment places H. floresiensis between 100,000 and 60,000 years old. Measurements of the decay of radioactive elements in an arm bone from the partial skeleton indicate that the find dates to between 86,900 and 71,500 years ago. Until now, researchers suspected these bones were only about 18,000 years old. Later excavations that have dated more rock and sediment around the remains now suggest that hobbits were gone from the cave by 50,000 years ago, according to a study published in Nature on 30 March 2016.
    [Show full text]
  • Homofloresiensis-Like Fossils from the Early Middle Pleistocene of Flores
    LETTER doi:10.1038/nature17999 Homo floresiensis-like fossils from the early Middle Pleistocene of Flores Gerrit D. van den Bergh1*, Yousuke Kaifu2*, Iwan Kurniawan3, Reiko T. Kono2, Adam Brumm4,5, Erick Setiyabudi3, Fachroel Aziz3 & Michael J. Morwood1‡ The evolutionary origin of Homo floresiensis, a diminutive hominin SOA-MM4 is a right mandibular corpus (Fig. 1). Despite its small species previously known only by skeletal remains from Liang Bua size, we conclude that this partial mandible comes from an adult indi- in western Flores, Indonesia, has been intensively debated. It is vidual, and that the preserved alveoli represent M1 to M3. Only the a matter of controversy whether this primitive form, dated to lingual wall of the mesial alveolus remains for M1 (Extended Data the Late Pleistocene, evolved from early Asian Homo erectus and Fig. 1a). This is not for P3 because the mandibular canal that normally represents a unique and striking case of evolutionary reversal in exits in the area below P3−M1 of a hominin mandible further con- hominin body and brain size within an insular environment1–4. tinues anteriorly beyond this level (Extended Data Fig. 1c, h). Micro The alternative hypothesis is that H. floresiensis derived from computed tomography (CT) scan data indicates that the alveolus for an older, smaller-brained member of our genus, such as Homo the last molar supported a plate-like mesial root and a conical distal habilis, or perhaps even late Australopithecus, signalling a hitherto root which together tilt distally, a form typical for a hominin M3 root undocumented dispersal of hominins from Africa into eastern (Extended Data Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Earliest Known Hominin Activity in the Philippines by 709 Thousand Years Ago Thomas Ingicco Museum National D'histoire Naturelle
    University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health part A 2018 Earliest known hominin activity in the Philippines by 709 thousand years ago Thomas Ingicco Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle Gerrit D. van den Bergh University of Wollongong, [email protected] C Jago-On National Museum of The Philippines J-J Bahain Museum d'Histoire Naturelle M G. Chacón Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle See next page for additional authors Publication Details Ingicco, T., van den Bergh, G. D., Jago-On, C., Bahain, J., Chacón, M. G., Amano, N., Forestier, H., King, C., Manalo, K., Nomade, S., Pereira, A., Reyes, M. C., Semah, A., Shao, Q., Voinchet, P., Falgueres, C., Albers, P. C.H., Lising, M., Lyras, G., Yurnaldi, D., Rochette, P., Bautista, A. & de Vos, J. (2018). Earliest known hominin activity in the Philippines by 709 thousand years ago. Nature, 557 233-237. Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] Earliest known hominin activity in the Philippines by 709 thousand years ago Abstract Over 60 years ago, stone tools and remains of megafauna were discovered on the Southeast Asian islands of Flores, Sulawesi and Luzon, and a Middle Pleistocene colonization by Homo erectus was initially proposed to have occurred on these islands. However, until the discovery of Homo floresiensis in 2003, claims of the presence of archaic hominins on Wallacean islands were hypothetical owing to the absence of in situ fossils and/or stone artefacts that were excavated from well-documented stratigraphic contexts, or because secure numerical dating methods of these sites were lacking.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 the Origins and Persistence of Homo Floresiensis on Flores
    The origins and persistence of Homo floresiensis on Flores: biogeographical and ecological perspectives Robin W. Dennell, Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield, Northgate House, West Street, Sheffield, S1 4ET, UK. [email protected] Julien Louys , School of Earth Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. E-mail: [email protected] Hannah J. O’Regan, Department of Archaeology, Humanities Building, University Park, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK. Tel: 0115 951 4843. E-mail: Hannah.O’[email protected] David M. Wilkinson, School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK. Tel: E-mail: [email protected] Abstract The finding of archaeological evidence predating 1 Ma and a small hominin species ( Homo floresiensis ) on Flores, Indonesia, has stimulated much research on its origins and ancestry. Here we take a different approach and examine two key questions – 1) how did the ancestors of H. floresiensis reach Flores and 2) what are the prospects and difficulties of estimating the likelihood of hominin persistence for over 1 million years on a small island? With regard to the first question, on the Basis of the Biogeography we conclude that the mammalian, avian, and reptilian fauna on Flores arrived from a numBer of sources including Java, Sulawesi and Sahul. Many of the terrestrial taxa were aBle to float or swim (e.g. stegodons, giant tortoises and the Komodo dragon), while the rodents and hominins proBaBly accidentally rafted from Sulawesi, following the prevailing currents. The precise route By which hominins arrived on Flores cannot at present Be determined, although a route from South Asia through Indochina, Sulawesi and hence Flores is tentatively supported on the Basis of zoogeography.
    [Show full text]
  • Characterization of Bone Surface Modifications On
    University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: Part B Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health 1-1-2019 Characterization of bone surface modifications on an Early ot Middle Pleistocene bird assemblage from Mata Menge (Flores, Indonesia) using multifocus and confocal microscopy Hanneke J.M Meijer Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, University of Bergen, [email protected] Francesco d'Errico University of Bordeaux, University of Bergen Alain Queffelec University of Bordeaux Iwan Kurniawan Geology Museum, Indonesia, Geological Survey Institute, Indonesia Erick Setiabudi Geology Museum, Indonesia See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers1 Publication Details Citation Meijer, H. J., d'Errico, F., Queffelec, A., Kurniawan, I., Setiabudi, E., Sutisna, I., Brumm, A. R., & van den Bergh, G. D. (2019). Characterization of bone surface modifications on an Early ot Middle Pleistocene bird assemblage from Mata Menge (Flores, Indonesia) using multifocus and confocal microscopy. Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: Part B. Retrieved from https://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers1/743 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] Characterization of bone surface modifications on an Early ot Middle Pleistocene bird assemblage from Mata Menge (Flores, Indonesia) using multifocus and confocal microscopy Abstract Island Southeast Asia (ISEA)is a key region for the study of human evolution. New fossil and archaeological evidence, from several islands, suggests an Early to Middle Pleistocene colonisation date by hominins.
    [Show full text]
  • A New Small-Bodied Hominin from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia
    articles A new small-bodied hominin from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia P. Brown1, T. Sutikna2, M. J. Morwood1, R. P. Soejono2, Jatmiko2, E. Wayhu Saptomo2 & Rokus Awe Due2 1Archaeology & Palaeoanthropology, School of Human & Environmental Studies, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia 2Indonesian Centre for Archaeology, Jl. Raya Condet Pejaten No. 4, Jakarta 12001, Indonesia ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Currently, it is widely accepted that only one hominin genus, Homo, was present in Pleistocene Asia, represented by two species, Homo erectus and Homo sapiens. Both species are characterized by greater brain size, increased body height and smaller teeth relative to Pliocene Australopithecus in Africa. Here we report the discovery, from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia, of an adult hominin with stature and endocranial volume approximating 1 m and 380 cm3, respectively—equal to the smallest-known australopithecines. The combination of primitive and derived features assigns this hominin to a new species, Homo floresiensis. The most likely explanation for its existence on Flores is long-term isolation, with subsequent endemic dwarfing, of an ancestral H. erectus population. Importantly, H. floresiensis shows that the genus Homo is morphologically more varied and flexible in its adaptive responses than previously thought. The LB1 skeleton was recovered in September 2003 during archaeo- hill, on the southern edge of the Wae Racang river valley. The type logical excavation at Liang Bua, Flores1.Mostoftheskeletal locality is at 088 31 0 50.4 00 south latitude 1208 26 0 36.9 00 east elements for LB1 were found in a small area, approximately longitude. 500 cm2, with parts of the skeleton still articulated and the tibiae Horizon.
    [Show full text]
  • Direct Dating of Pleistocene Stegodon from Timor Island, East Nusa Tenggara
    Direct dating of Pleistocene stegodon from Timor Island, East Nusa Tenggara Julien Louys1, Gilbert J. Price2 and Sue O'Connor1 1 Department of Archaeology and Natural History, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia 2 School of Earth Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia ABSTRACT Stegodons are a commonly recovered extinct proboscidean (elephants and allies) from the Pleistocene record of Southeast Asian oceanic islands. Estimates on when stegodons arrived on individual islands and the timings of their extinctions are poorly constrained due to few reported direct geochronological analyses of their remains. Here we report on uranium-series dating of a stegodon tusk recovered from the Ainaro Gravels of Timor. The six dates obtained indicate the local presence of stegodons in Timor at or before 130 ka, significantly pre-dating the earliest evidence of humans on the island. On the basis of current data, we find no evidence for significant environmental changes or the presence of modern humans in the region during that time. Thus, we do not consider either of these factors to have contributed significantly to their extinction. In the absence of these, we propose that their extinction was possibly the result of long-term demographic and genetic declines associated with an isolated island population. Subjects Biogeography, Paleontology Keywords Geochronology, Proboscidean, Extinction, Island biogeography INTRODUCTION Stegodons (Stegodontidae: Proboscidea) were a widespread and diverse family of proboscideans dating from the late Miocene to the Late Pleistocene of Africa and Asia. Pleistocene species of stegodon were widely dispersed throughout continental and island Submitted 18 November 2015 Southeast Asia (Louys, Curnoe & Tong, 2007), but became globally extinct by the terminal Accepted 19 February 2016 Published 10 March 2016 Pleistocene on both the mainland (Turvey et al., 2013) and on islands (Van den Bergh et Corresponding author al., 2008).
    [Show full text]
  • Aberystwyth University Age and Context of the Oldest Known
    Aberystwyth University 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.; Setiwan, Ruly; Setiyabudi, Erick; Grün, Rainer; Moore, Mark W.; Yurnaldi, Dida ; Puspaningrum, Mika R.; Wibowo, Unggul P.; Insani, Halmi; Sutisna, Indra; Westgate, John A.; Pearce, Nicholas; Duval, Mathieu; Meijer, Hanneke J. M.; Aziz, Fachroel; Sutikna, Thomas Published in: Nature DOI: 10.1038/nature17663 Publication date: 2016 Citation for published version (APA): Brumm, A., van den Bergh, G. D., Storey, M., Kurniawan, I., Alloway, B. V., Setiwan, R., Setiyabudi, E., Grün, R., Moore, M. W., Yurnaldi, D., Puspaningrum, M. R., Wibowo, U. P., Insani, H., Sutisna, I., Westgate, J. A., Pearce, N., Duval, M., Meijer, H. J. M., Aziz, F., ... Morwood, M. J. (2016). Age and context of the oldest known hominin fossils from Flores. Nature, 534, 249-253. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature17663 General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the Aberystwyth Research Portal (the Institutional Repository) are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the Aberystwyth Research Portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the Aberystwyth Research Portal Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.
    [Show full text]
  • A Morphological Analysis of the Humerus and Calcaneus of Endemic Rats from Liang Bua, Flores, Indonesia
    A Morphological Analysis of the Humerus and Calcaneus of Endemic Rats from Liang Bua, Flores, Indonesia by Elizabeth Grace Veatch B.A. in Anthropology, May 2010, University of Colorado at Boulder A Thesis Submitted to The Faculty of The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of The George Washington University in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts January 31, 2015 Thesis directed by Matthew W. Tocheri Associate Professor of Anthropology © Copyright 2015 by Elizabeth Grace Veatch All rights reserved ii Dedication I would like to dedicate this thesis to my loving and supportive family. To my parents (Ray and Dawn Veatch) who have always encouraged me to pursue my ambitions. To my sisters (Virginia and Sarah Veatch) who have been very patient and supportive during these last few years, especially to my little sister who has listened to countless explanations and discussions on rats. I would also like to include my grandmother (Gigi), aunts (Beth Aikens and Pam Veatch) uncle (Mike Veatch) and cousins (Elijah Aikens and Jason Veatch). Thank you all for your constant love and support. iii Acknowledgements I would like to give my sincerest gratitude to my advisers, Dr. Matt Tocheri and Dr. Kristofer Helgen for their guidance and encouragement over the past few years. I am forever grateful for their support and inspiration during the research and writing process and for the opportunity to contribute to the research at Liang Bua. I would also like to thank the entire Liang Bua team, especially Wahyu Saptomo, Thomas Sutikna, Rokus Awe Due, Jatmiko, Sri Wasisto, and Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • A 700,000-Year-Old Fossil Find Shows the Hobbits' Ancestors Were Even Smaller Gerrit D
    University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health 2016 A 700,000-year-old fossil find shows the Hobbits' ancestors were even smaller Gerrit D. van den Bergh University of Wollongong, [email protected] Adam R. Brumm Griffith University, [email protected] Publication Details van den Bergh, G. D. & Brumm, A. R. (2016). A 700,000-year-old fossil find shows the Hobbits' ancestors were even smaller. The Conversation, 9 June 1-5. Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] A 700,000-year-old fossil find shows the Hobbits' ancestors were even smaller Abstract It was back in October 2004 when archaeologists first unveiled the partial skeleton of a tiny, small-brained hominin previously unknown to science, now known as Homo floresiensis. Disciplines Medicine and Health Sciences | Social and Behavioral Sciences Publication Details van den Bergh, G. D. & Brumm, A. R. (2016). A 700,000-year-old fossil find shows the Hobbits' ancestors were even smaller. The onC versation, 9 June 1-5. This journal article is available at Research Online: http://ro.uow.edu.au/smhpapers/3830 A 700,000-year-old fossil find shows the Hobbits’ ancestors were eve... http://theconversation.com/a-700-000-year-old-fossil-find-shows-the-... June 9, 2016 6.06am AEST Gerrit (Gert) van den Bergh Researcher in palaeontology, University of Wollongong Adam Brumm Senior Research Fellow, Griffith University The Conversation’s partners View partners of The Conversation Image (left) of the Mata Menge lower jaw fragment (SOA-MM4) superimposed on the Homo floresiensis skull (LB1) from Liang Bua, and compared with a modern human skull from the Jomon Period of Japan.
    [Show full text]
  • Early Hominin Biogeography in Island Southeast Asia
    Evolutionary Anthropology 24:185–213 (2015) ARTICLE Early Hominin Biogeography in Island Southeast Asia ROY LARICK AND RUSSELL L. CIOCHON Island Southeast Asia covers Eurasia’s tropical expanse of continental shelf Solo Basin, has since produced more and active subduction zones. Cutting between island landmasses, Wallace’s than 80 Homo erectus cranial and Line separates Sunda and the Eastern Island Arc (the Arc) into distinct tectonic dental fossils. The Sangiran and Tri- and faunal provinces. West of the line, on Sunda, Java Island yields many fossils nil fossils have thick cranial vaults of Homo erectus. East of the line, on the Arc, Flores Island provides one skele- and cranial capacities of 840 to 1,059 ton and isolated remains of Homo floresiensis. Luzon Island in the Philippines cc.3 A much later set of Solo Basin has another fossil hominin. Sulawesi preserves early hominin archeology. This Homo erectus fossils, from Ngandong insular divergence sets up a unique regional context for early hominin dispersal, and related sites, have cranial isolation, and extinction. The evidence is reviewed across three Pleistocene cli- capacities reaching 1,250 cc. mate periods. Patterns are discussed in relation to the pulse of global sea-level In 2003, at Liang Bua, on Flores, shifts, as well as regional geo-tectonics, catastrophes, stegodon dispersal, and east of Wallace’s Line, Homo flore- paleogenomics. Several patterns imply evolutionary processes typical of oceanic siensis was defined on the basis of islands. Early hominins apparently responded to changing island conditions for one nearly complete skeleton and a million-and-a-half years, likely becoming extinct during the period in which fragmentary remains of several indi- Homo sapiens colonized the region.
    [Show full text]
  • The Effect of Area and Isolation on Insular Dwarf Proboscideans Alexandra A
    University of Wollongong Research Online Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health 2016 The effect of area and isolation on insular dwarf proboscideans Alexandra A. E van der Geer Netherlands Biodiversity Center Naturalis Gerrit D. van den Bergh University of Wollongong, [email protected] George A. Lyras National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Unggul W. Prasetyo University of Wollongong Rokus Awe Due National Research Center for Archaeology, Indonesia See next page for additional authors Publication Details van der Geer, A. A. E., van den Bergh, G. D., Lyras, G. A., Prasetyo, U. W., Awe Due, R., Setiyabudi, E. & Drinia, H. (2016). The effect of area and isolation on insular dwarf proboscideans. Journal of Biogeography, 43 (8), 1656-1666. Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] The effect of area and isolation on insular dwarf proboscideans Abstract Aim We investigated the hypothesis that insular body size of fossil elephants is directly related to isolation and surface area of the focal islands. Location Palaeo-islands worldwide. Methods We assembled data on the geographical characteristics (area and isolation) of islands and body size evolution of palaeo-insular species for 22 insular species of fossil elephants across 17 islands. Results Our results support the generality of the island rule in the sense that all but one of the elephants experienced dwarfism on islands. The ms allest islands generally harbour the smallest elephants. We found no support for the hypothesis that body size of elephants declines with island isolation.
    [Show full text]