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.

4.5至350万年前的这段时期是我们进化史的重要组成部分，在此期间出现了许多古人类物种并实现了多样化。在这个项目中，研究人员将从埃塞俄比亚阿法尔地区的加利利地层收集古生物学、考古学和地质数据，初步调查显示该地层包括一系列物种的化石，其中包括一些古人类标本。该地点的其他发现将有助于研究古人类进化和适应的重要问题，例如行为变化、栖息地扩大、石器使用和定期吃肉。该项目将为研究生和本科生以及现场人员提供培训机会，并建立具有科学意义的时期和地区的古生物学和考古研究收藏。化石和考古材料及其背景信息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的数据将添加到相关的可公开访问的数据库中。 在这项为期两年的早上新世-早更新世加利利地层实地调查中，调查人员将扩大之前由国家科学基金会资助的项目区域调查；收集、准备和整理对分类学、生物年代学、生物地理学和古环境敏感的化石；识别、取样和处理地质样本以进行年代测定；并绘制该地区的高分辨率地质图和地层图。这些项目活动将改善沉积物的年代控制，更好地记录动物群和环境的时间连续多样性，重建盆地几何形状和演化，并允许与其他阿瓦什盆地地区进行生物和地质比较。该项目的研究结果将为两足动物的过渡、石器制造和食肉的起源以及人属的起源等主题做出贡献。加利利矿床正在对古代景观的独特部分进行采样，与阿法尔地区其他类似年龄的化石（例如沃兰索米勒、迪基卡、哈达尔和中阿瓦什的化石）进行比较，将提供对整个地区更全面的了解。古代阿瓦什盆地能够更好地了解早期人类进化的情况。