Lower Pliocene hominid remains from Sterkfontein
Published in:
Science 300,5619 (2003) 607-612;
Link to original published article:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1081651
Abstract
Cosmogenic aluminum-26 and beryllium-10 burial dates of low-lying fossiliferous breccia in the caves at Sterkfontein, South Africa, show that associated hominid fossils accumulated in the Lower Pliocene. These dates indicate that the skeleton StW 573 and newly discovered specimens from Jacovec Cavern have much the same age: approximately 4 million years. These specimens are thus of an age similar to Australopithecus anamensis from East Africa.
Keywords
cosmogenic nuclides;; erosion rates;; south-africa;; foot bones;; be-10;; river;; australopithecus;; sediments;; skeleton;; decay
Date of this Version
January 2003
COinS