Australopithecus sediba at 1.977 Ma and Implications for the Origins of the Genus Homo
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Publication Date
September 2011
Abstract
Newly exposed cave sediments at the Malapa site include a flowstone layer capping the sedimentary unit containing the Australopithecus sediba fossils. Uranium-lead dating of the flowstone, combined with paleomagnetic and stratigraphic analysis of the flowstone and underlying sediments, provides a tightly constrained date of 1.977 ± 0.002 million years ago (Ma) for these fossils. This refined dating suggests that Au. sediba from Malapa predates the earliest uncontested evidence for Homo in Africa.
Document Type
Article
Identifier
SFS0071710_00001
Recommended Citation
Pickering, Robyn; Dirks, Paul H.G.M.; and Jinnah, Zubair, "Australopithecus sediba at 1.977 Ma and Implications for the Origins of the Genus Homo" (2011). KIP Articles. 454.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_articles/454