When did hominids first leave Africa?: New high-resolution magnetostratigraphy from the Erk-el-Ahmar Formation, Israel
- 1Geophysical Institute of Israel, Lod 71100, Israel
- 2College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA
Abstract
New paleomagnetic results from the Erk-el-Ahmar Formation, Israel, resolve age ambiguities of one of the oldest hominid sites outside Africa, where ancient Oldowan tools and artifacts were excavated. We identified in the section the upper and lower boundaries of the Olduvai subchron, and we conclude that these sediments were deposited between ca. 1.7 and 2.0 Ma. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that earliest hominid migrations from Africa to Eurasia during the early Paleolithic traversed the Levantine corridor.
Footnotes
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↵*E-mail addresses: Levislevioce.orst.edu; Ronhagaigii.co.il. Both authors contributed equally to this study.
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- Accepted June 4, 2001.
- Received December 27, 2000.
- Revision received May 16, 2001.
- Geological Society of America
