Paleoanthropological Exploration in the Manonga Valley of Northern Tanzania

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The aim of this project is to initiate a program of paleontological and geological exploration in the Manonga Valley of northern Tanzania in order to ascertain the potential of the fossil sites in the area for the study of human evolution. A preliminary reconnaissance by the principal investigator in 1990 demonstrated that the Manonga Valley which has been almost completely unexplored previously, is an area of tremendous potential for future paleoanthropological research. The ancient lake basin, with its extensive, well-exposed and fossil-rich sediments can now be considered one of the most significant paleontological research areas in eastern Africa. Only a few isolated and fragmentary fossil remains of early human ancestors are known from Africa prior to 4 million years ago. The estimated age of the sites in the Manonga Valley (3-6 million years old), in conjunction with their paleontological productivity, and their close geographical proximity to other important sites that have yielded fossils pertinent to human evolution, makes the region of evident significance for the study of human origins. The major objectives of the project are: (1) to make paleontological collections at the principal fossil localities and to continue to prospect for new sites; (2) to further assess the geological context and the age of the fossil sites; and (3) to obtain data that will help to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental setting of the ancient lake basin.