Collaborative Research: Field Research at the Hominin-bearing Pliocene-age Galili Formation

合作研究：上新世加利利地层中含有古人类的实地研究

• 批准号: 1640322
• 负责人: Jay Quade
• 金额: $ 4.35万
• 依托单位: University of Arizona
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-09-15 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1640322&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Field; Hominin; bearing

The period from 4.5 to 3.5 million years ago is an important part of our evolutionary history, during which a number of hominin species appeared and diversified. In this project, the investigators will collect paleontological, archeological, and geological data from the Galili Formation in the Afar region of Ethiopia, which is known from initial surveys to include fossils for a range of species, including some hominin specimens. Additional findings at this location will contribute to the study of important issues in hominin evolution and adaptation, such as behavioral changes, expanded habitats, stone tool use, and regular meat eating. This project will provide training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students and field personnel, and build paleontological and archeological research collections from a scientifically interesting period and region. Fossils and archeological materials, with information on their context, will be permanently curated at the Ethiopian National Museum, and data from geochronological and isotopic analyses will be added to relevant publicly-accessible databases. In this two-year field investigation of the Early Pliocene-Early Pleistocene Galili Formation, the investigators will expand on a previously NSF-funded survey of the project area; collect, prepare, and curate taxonomically, biochronologically, biogeographically, and paleoenvironmentally sensitive fossils; identify, sample, and process geological samples for dating; and develop a high-resolution geologic map and stratigraphy of the area. These project activities will improve the chronological control of the deposits, better document the time-successive diversity in fauna and environments, reconstruct basin geometry and evolution, and allow biological and geological comparisons with other Awash basin areas. Findings from this project will contribute to topics such as the transition to bipedality, the origins of stone tool manufacture and meat-eating, and the origins of the genus Homo. The Galili deposits are sampling a unique part of the ancient landscape, and comparisons with other similarly aged fossils from the Afar region, such as those from Woranso-Mille, Dikika, Hadar, and Middle Awash, will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the entire ancient Awash Basin to better understand that circumstances of early hominin evolution.

450万年前到350万年前是我们进化史的重要组成部分，在此期间出现了许多人类物种并实现了多样化。在这个项目中，研究人员将收集来自埃塞俄比亚阿法尔地区加利利组的古生物学，考古学和地质学数据，从最初的调查中得知，包括一系列物种的化石，包括一些人类标本。在这个地方的其他发现将有助于研究人类进化和适应中的重要问题，例如行为变化，扩大栖息地，石器使用和定期吃肉。该项目将为研究生、本科生和现场人员提供培训机会，并建立科学有趣时期和地区的古生物学和考古学研究收藏。化石和考古材料及其背景资料将永久保存在埃塞俄比亚国家博物馆，地质年代学和同位素分析数据将添加到相关的公开数据库。 在对上新世早期-更新世早期Galili地层的为期两年的实地调查中，调查人员将扩大以前NSF资助的项目区域调查;收集，准备和管理分类学，生物年代学，地理学和古环境敏感的化石;识别，采样和处理地质样品用于测年;并开发该地区的高分辨率地质图和地层学。这些项目活动将改进对矿床的年代控制，更好地记录动物群和环境的时间连续多样性，重建盆地的几何形状和演变，并能够与阿瓦什盆地其他地区进行生物和地质比较。该项目的发现将有助于诸如向两足动物过渡、石器制造和肉食的起源以及人属的起源等主题。加利利矿床正在对古代景观的独特部分进行采样，并与阿法尔地区的其他类似年龄的化石进行比较，例如来自Woranso-Mille、Dikika、Hadar和Middle Awash的化石，将提供对整个古代阿瓦什盆地的更全面的了解，以更好地了解早期古人类进化的情况。