EAGER: Exploration of Late Miocene Strata in a Critical Fossil Gap of the Hominoid Record: the Red Series of Northern Afar, Ethiopia

EAGER：对类人猿记录的关键化石间隙中中新世晚期地层的探索：埃塞俄比亚北阿法尔的红色系列

• 批准号: 0937819
• 负责人: Jonathan Wynn
• 金额: $ 2.45万
• 依托单位: University of South Florida
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-08-15 至 2011-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0937819&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; Exploration; Late; Miocene; Strata

Exploration of Late Miocene Strata in a Critical Fossil Gap of the Hominoid Record: the Red Series of Northern Afar, EthiopiaPI: Jonathan G. WynnUniversity of South Florida,Department of GeologyThe purpose of this research is to explore little documented sediments in the northern Afar Region of Ethiopia for a paleoclimatic record from what is now recognized as a critical interval in paleobiology research. This paleoclimatic record will span the Late Miocene epoch, which is of contemporary interest the scientific community because of recent paleontological discoveries that have revealed new understanding of patterns of ape and human evolution. Three recent discoveries of fossil hominoids have been reported from strata representing an interval previously known to paleoanthropology as the fossil ape gap in the Miocene. These and other recent developments have brought the Late Miocene to the forefront of human evolutionary studies in efforts to reconcile the known fossil record with molecular-based hypotheses of the split between the ape and human clades during this interval. Sediments of the Red Series in the northern Afar region of Ethiopia span this age range, but have not been explored in any detail since early work that advanced the theory of plate tectonics during the 1960s. Hence, the record of ancient climate and environment that we will produce from these strata will be immediately relevant to current human origins research. This record will also be able to provide potential future continental drilling sites in this critical geological interval, the likes of which are now providing high resolution records of Quaternary paleoenvironmental change in the sedimentary basins in which our ancestors evolved. The exploratory work funded by this SGER grant will set the stage for work that may radically change our understanding of the critical stages of early hominin evolution. We will better understand the environmental conditions which led to the split between the ape and human clades, better understand a critical interval for Eurasian-African mammalian faunal migration, and provide potential sites for continental drilling that will be aimed at understanding the role of paleoclimatic change in the course of human evolution. This project is jointly funded by the SGP Program and the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE).

在一个关键的类人猿记录的化石缺口中探索晚中新世地层：埃塞俄比亚阿法尔北部的红色系列。本研究的目的是探索埃塞俄比亚阿法尔北部地区很少有记录的沉积物，从现在被认为是古生物学研究的一个关键间隔中寻找古气候记录。这个古气候记录将跨越晚中新世，这是当代科学界感兴趣的，因为最近的古生物学发现揭示了对猿和人类进化模式的新认识。据报道，最近在代表中新世古人类学所知的猿类化石间隙的地层中发现了三个古人类化石。这些和其他最近的发展使晚中新世成为人类进化研究的前沿，这些研究努力使已知的化石记录与基于分子的猿类和人类进化分支在这一时期分裂的假设相一致。埃塞俄比亚北部阿法尔地区的红色系列沉积物跨越了这个年龄范围，但自20世纪60年代提出板块构造理论的早期工作以来，还没有对其进行过详细的探索。因此，我们将从这些地层中产生的古代气候和环境记录将与当前的人类起源研究直接相关。这一记录也将能够在这一关键地质区间提供潜在的未来大陆钻探地点，类似的地点现在正在提供我们祖先进化的沉积盆地第四纪古环境变化的高分辨率记录。由SGER资助的探索性工作将为可能从根本上改变我们对早期人类进化关键阶段的理解的工作奠定基础。我们将更好地了解导致猿和人进化分支分化的环境条件，更好地了解欧亚-非洲哺乳动物动物迁徙的关键间隔，并为大陆钻探提供潜在的地点，旨在了解古气候变化在人类进化过程中的作用。该项目由SGP计划和国际科学与工程办公室（OISE）共同资助。