image: The Geology of Early Humans in the Horn of Africa Jay Quade and Jonathan G. Wynn (editors) view more
Credit: Geological Society of Ameria
Boulder, CO, USA – This new volume from The Geological Society of America summarizes geological research in the Horn of Africa, a region well known for recording human evolution. The volume's ten chapters focus on four projects near the long-studied Hadar Research Area: Dikika, Gona, Hadar, and Ledi-Geraru, which cover most of Africa's Lower Awash Valley. The authors' new research and inter-project collaborative efforts help shed light on the chronology and context of some of our earliest ancestors.
According to volume editors Jay Quade (Univ. of Arizona) and Jonathan Wynn (Univ. of South Florida), "The initial phases of human evolution in Africa between 8 and 2.5 Ma are now known to be far more complex than was thought prior to the 1990s." The newly revealed complexity derives from recent discovery of four new genera (of a total of seven genera) belonging to the upright-walking subtribe hominina (Ardipithecus, Kenyanthropus, Orrorin, and Sahelanthropus) and eight newly defined species of the hominina (S. tchadensis, O. tugenensis, Ar. kadabba, Ar. ramidus, Australopithecus anamensis, Au. bahrelghazali, Au. garhi, and K. platyops)—all new taxa published since 1994. While these and other finds have driven human-origins research forward, the discoveries have vitally depended on collaborative research with geologists whose contribution has been not only to date fossil discoveries, but increasingly aimed at establishing a more complete understanding of the geological context of speciation and extinction during these early evolutionary phases.
Individual copies of the volume may be purchased through the Geological Society of America online bookstore http://www.geosociety.org/bookstore/default.asp?oID=0&catID=9&pID=SPE446 or by contacting GSA Sales and Service, gsaservice@geosociety.org.
Book editors of earth science journals/publications may request a review copy by contacting Jeanette Hammann, jhammann@geosociety.org.
The Geology of Early Humans in the Horn of Africa
Jay Quade and Jonathan G. Wynn (editors)
Geological Society of America Special Paper 446
2008, 234 pages, US$60.00, GSA member price US$48.00
ISBN 978-0-8137-2446-1