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The first australopithecine 2,500 kilometres west of the Rift Valley (Chad)
M Brunet1, A Beauvilain, Y Coppens
1Laboratoire Géobiologie, Biochronologie et Paléontologie humaine, JE 273 MST Faculté des Sciences de l'Université de Poitiers, France.
Nature
|November 16, 1995
Summary
Fossil discoveries in Chad reveal early hominid presence 2,500 km west of the Rift Valley. This australopithecine mandible, similar to Australopithecus afarensis, suggests wider Pliocene-Pleistocene hominid distribution.
Area of Science:
- Paleoanthropology
- Paleontology
- Geochronology
Background:
- Pliocene and Pleistocene mammal sites west of the Rift Valley in Central Africa were first reported in 1959, indicating mixed savannah and woodland habitats.
- Previous discoveries included probable Homo erectus remains and further fossil sites.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document early hominid presence and distribution west of the African Rift Valley.
- To investigate Pliocene and Pleistocene formations in Chad's Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti Province.
Main Methods:
- Survey of Pliocene and Pleistocene geological formations in the Bahr el Ghazal region of Chad.
- Discovery and excavation of 17 new fossil sites, including KT 12.
- Biochronological dating of faunal remains associated with hominid fossils.
Main Results:
- Discovery of 17 new Pliocene and Pleistocene fossil sites near Koro Toro, Chad.
- Excavation of site KT 12 yielded an australopithecine mandible dated to 3.0-3.5 million years ago.
- The mandible's morphology is most similar to Australopithecus afarensis, a species previously known only from eastern and southern Africa.
Conclusions:
- This find significantly extends the known geographic range of early hominids by 2,500 km west of the Rift Valley.
- The discovery supports a broader distribution of early hominids across Africa during the Pliocene-Pleistocene epochs.
- It highlights the importance of Central Africa in understanding human evolution.