New palaeontological assemblage, sedimentological and chronological data from the Pleistocene Ma U'Oi cave (northern Vietnam)

This paper describes recent material gathered during the second fieldwork at Ma U'Oi in November 2002 by a Vietnamese–French–Japanese team. The Ma U'Oi cave, located in the province of Hoà Binh (60 km SW from Hanoi), northern Vietnam, belongs to a karstic network developed in Triassic dark-grey limestones.

The cave is filled with coarse-grained breccias containing numerous fossil remains, partially preserved at several loci inside the cave (wall, vault and ground). We describe new teeth which confirm the occurrence of mammal taxa already mentioned at Ma U'Oi (Bacon et al., 2004)[Bacon, A-M., Demeter, F., Schuster, M., Long, V.T., Thuy, N.K., Antoine, P-O., Sen, S., Nga, H.H., Huong, N.T.M., 2004. The Pleistocene Ma U'Oi cave, northern Vietnam: palaeontology, sedimentology and palaeoenvironments. Geobios 37, 305–314], while others, mainly microvertebrates, emphasize the occurrence of new species for the Pleistocene of Vietnam. We report here, for the first time, the occurrence of these microvertebrates of different groups (primates, rodents, insectivores, small reptiles and amphibians) in the faunal assemblage. Among mammal taxa, the presence of one more hominid affiliated to archaic Homo is also attested by our findings. U/Th dating carried out on 2 samples extracted from breccia speleothems confirms the biochronological estimate, with fossiliferous fillings ranging from late Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene.     

南京汤山早期人类及南方几个猿人遗址的生活环境

南京汤山的早期人类的地质时代相当于中更新世晚期,距今12.7—50万年。该动物群是一个单调的北方型动物群,生活在寒冷期,相当于深海氧同位素的等10阶段,距今33—37万年。郧县的古人类与蓝田的公王岭动物群同时,为早更新世,距今100—140万年。它们生活在温暖期,相当于欧洲的Waalian暖期。与元谋人共生的元谋动物群(相当于元谋组的第四段)包括许多典型的北方型动物,如复齿鼠兔,泥河湾剑齿虎、麅、羚羊等,故它们生活在寒冷期,也属早更新世,距今140—190万年。     

Re-appraisal of the stratigraphy and determination of new U-Pb dates for the Sterkfontein hominin site, South Africa

Sterkfontein Caves is the single richest early hominin site in the world with deposits yielding one or more species of Australopithecus and possible early Homo, as well as an extensive faunal collection. The inability to date the southern African cave sites accurately or precisely has hindered attempts to integrate the hominin fossil evidence into pan-African scenarios about human evolutionary history, and especially hominin biogeography. We have used U-Pb and U-Th techniques to date sheets of calcium carbonate flowstone inter-bedded between the fossiliferous sediments. For the first time, absolute age ranges can be assigned to the fossil-bearing deposits: Member 2 is between 2.8 ± 0.28 and 2.6 ± 0.30 Ma and Member 4 between 2.65 ± 0.30 and 2.01 ± 0.05 Ma. The age of 2.01 ± 0.05 Ma for the top of Member 4 constrains the last appearance of Australopithecus africanus to 2 Ma. In the Silberberg Grotto we have reproduced the U-Pb age of ∼2.2 Ma of for the flowstones associated with StW573. We believe that these deposits, including the fossil and the flowstones, accumulated rapidly around 2.2 Ma. The stratigraphy of the site is complex as sediments are exposed both in the underground chambers and at surface. We present a new interpretation of the stratigraphy based on surface mapping, boreholes logs and U-Pb ages. Every effort was made to retain the Member system, however, only Members 2 and 4 are recognized in the boreholes. We propose that the deposits formally known as Member 3 are in fact the distal equivalents of Member 4. The sediments of Members 2 and 4 consisted of cone-like deposits and probably never filled up the cave. The U-Th ages show that there are substantial deposits younger than 400 ka in the underground cave, underlying the older deposits, highlighting again that these cave fills are not simple layer-cakes.     

A second species of Euscorpiops Vachon from caves in Vietnam (Scorpiones,Euscorpiidae, Scorpiopinae)

Euscorpiops dakrong sp. n., belonging to the family Euscorpiidae Laurie, is described on the basis of one male and one female collected in the Dakrong Nature Reserve cave system, Dakrong District, Quang Tri Province, Vietnam. The new species presents most features exhibited by scorpions of the genus Euscorpiops, but it is characterized by a slender body and elongated pedipalps. This new scorpion taxon represents the second species of Scorpiopinae discovered in a cave system and may be yet another endemic element in the fauna of Vietnam. Some taxonomic propositions on the generic position of Scorpiops oligotrichus Fage, 1933 are also suggested.     

Lower Emsian biostratigraphy and event stratigraphy of Ha Giang Province,northern Vietnam

A new species of rugose coral, Sanidophyllum dubium n. sp., and the typical Emsian (Early Devonian) rugose coral Xystriphylloides nobilis are described from the Mia Le Formation in northern Vietnam. The lower Emsian index conodonts ranging from the Polygnathus excavatus zone to the P. nothoperbonus zone are illustrated. The biostratigraphic correlation between northern Vietnam and South China shows that the Mia Le Formation in northern Vietnam is early Emsian in age, and its upper part can be correlated with the lower part of the Shizhou Member of the Yukiang Formation in Liujing, Guangxi and its equivalents in South China. Based on the study of the lower Emsian biostratigraphic sequence, the disappearance of Xystriphylloides nobilis fauna in the overlying bed of the uppermost Mia Le Formation and the extinction of the “tonkinensis fauna” (sensu lato) in the interval between the basal Si Phai Formation and the uppermost Mia Le Formation demonstrate the influence of the Yujiang Event in northern Vietnam.     

云南中甸新发现的早更新世哺乳动物

描述了最近发现于横断山脉中段的一批哺乳类化石 ,具体地点位于云南迪庆州中甸县城 (香格里拉 )以南约 6km处的公路旁。这批材料包括灵长类 (Procynocephaluscf.P .wimani)、啮齿类 (Hystrixsp .)、食肉类、奇蹄类 (Equusyunnanensis)及偶蹄类 ,其中以鹿类 (Cer vavitusultimus、Eucladocerossp .、Cervus (Rusa)yunnanensis等 )和牛羊类最为丰富 ,揭示了当时一种混合的森林 -草原环境。从动物群总体面貌来看 ,这批哺乳类可与元谋人动物群相比 ,时代为更新世早期。但其中有些种类与北方早更新世类群相似 ,如真枝角鹿及羚羊等 ,表明该动物群也与北方动物群之间存在着某种生物地理上的联系。     

Buthid scorpions found in caves; a new species of Isometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones,Buthidae) from southern Vietnam

A new species, Isometrus (Reddyanus) deharvengi sp. n., is described from caves of the region of Hon Chong, Kien Giang in southern Vietnam. Comments are also added about the scorpion fauna of Southeast Asia and cave dwelling buthid scorpions.     

Récentes découvertes de restes d'Hominidés fossiles en Chine du Sud

After the discovery of the controversial hominids and artefacts at the Longgupo site, three Early Pleistocene sites in the southern valleys of the Changjiang (Yangtze) were excavated from 1998 to 2000 in order to test the hypothesis that the hominids exist in China before 2 Ma. Three cheek teeth of Meganthropus palaeojavanicus, more than six hundreds pieces of artefacts of Mode 1 technology and thousands pieces of mammal fossils of Villafranchian age were unearthed in situ at the Longgudong Site in Hubei Province. More than 120 pieces of artefacts of Mode 1 technology and seven thousands pieces of mammal fossils of Villafranchian age were unearthed in situ at the Renzidong Site in Anhui Province. Although no new materials of hominids and artefacts were unearthed at the Yuanmou Man Site at Danawu in Yunnan Province, new materials of mammalian fauna confirm the horizon yielding the Yuanmou Man fossils is of the Early Pleistocene. These new discoveries imply that the appearance of hominids in China is very likely before 2 Ma. If the new report of 3 Ma artefact from Yuxian of the Nihewan Basin in northern China can be confirmed, it will be a strong support for the Continuity Theory.     

Karst development,breccias history,and mammalian assemblages in Southeast Asia: A brief review

Karst processes typically occur in carbonate rocks, such as limestone or dolomite. They occur all over the world everywhere where carbonate rocks are exposed and submitted to rain and/or water circulation. The karstification of carbonate rocks-bearing landscapes leads to a variety of surface and subsurface features. In tropical and sub-tropical areas as it is the case in Southeast Asia, the mature karst landscapes display a typical morphology called tower karst. Beneath the surface, the complex underground drainage systems contribute to an extensive network of caves and caverns, which may be filled with breccia. The history of sedimentary cave infilling is often complicated due to alternating cycles of infilling/removing phases through time, driven by climate/tectonic/eustatic changes. We present results from our research in Vietnam and Laos. We emphasise that both modern and fossil alluvial terraces and cave entrances/exits, evolve together, and that the caves at progressively higher elevations also have older periods of formation. The oldest breccias and sedimentary deposits are on the upper part of the network, whereas the youngest ones are often close to the modern alluvial plain. These processes of formation are in many respects very similar to those of the fluvial terraces formed during the drop of the alluvial plain, showing a stair-like morphology. Additionally, the alternation of infilling and erosion is strongly linked to the progressive downcutting of the alluvial plain that leads to a major change in both, water circulation and sedimentary deposits. The bone-bearing breccias, formed by typical sedimentary processes, yield vertebrate assemblages, often essentially composed of isolated teeth from middle- to large-sized mammals (Artiodactyla, Perissodactyla, Proboscidea, Carnivora, Rodentia, Primates). In terms of zoogeography, the continental Southeast Asian mammals belong to the Indochinese Subregion. After a brief review of the evolution of the faunas throughout the Pleistocene, we present a biochronological framework of the transition between the Middle Pleistocene and the Late Pleistocene, on the basis of our research in the karsts of Vietnam (Duoi U’Oi and Ma U’Oi sites) and Laos (Tam Hang site).     

柴达木盆地新近纪犀科化石新材料

近年来在青海柴达木盆地中新世地层内新发现的犀科化石 ,经研究有 3属 3种 ,即Ac erorhinustsaidamensis,Hispanotheriummatritense和Dicerorhinusringstromi,其中后两个种是在这一地区的初次报道。新材料虽较破碎 ,但其发现扩大了H .matritense和D .ringstromi的地理分布范围。更重要的是 ,柴达木动物群原来被确定为晚中新世早期 ,其主要依据是安琪马动物群的残余分子与三趾马动物群共生 ,而此次的发现证明这一地区确实有含H .matritense的中中新世动物群存在。D .ringstromi的发现还证明柴达木盆地有相当于保德动物群时代的晚中新世晚期沉积。     

Combined ESR/U-series chronology of Acheulian hominid-bearing layers at Trinchera Galería site,Atapuerca, Spain

The Sierra de Atapuerca, northern Spain, is known from many prehistoric and palaeontological sites documenting human prehistory in Europe. Three major sites, Gran Dolina, Galería and Sima del Elefante, range in age from the oldest hominin of Western Europe dated to 1.1 to 1.3 Ma (millions of years ago) at Sima del Elefante to c.a. 0.2 Ma on the top of the Galería archaeological sequence. Recently, a chronology based on luminescence methods (Thermoluminescence [TL] and Infrared Stimulated Luminescence [IRSL]) applied to cave sediments was published for the Gran Dolina and Galería sites. The authors proposed for Galería an age of 450 ka (thousands of years ago) for the units lower GIII and GII, suggesting that the human occupation there is younger than the hominid remains of Sima de los Huesos (>530 ka) around 1 km away.     

Datation par la méthode 40Ar / 39Ar de la couche de cendres volcaniques (couche VI) de Dmanissi (Géorgie) qui a livré des restes d'hominidés fossiles de 1,81 Ma

The exceptional prehistoric site of Dmanisi, in the South of Georgia, has yielded several hominid fossil remains, including three skulls and three mandibles assigned to Homo ergaster, in volcanic ashes and fluvio-lacustrine sands lying directly on a basalt flow. These levels also contain an archaic lithic industry consisting of pebble tools, cores and flakes, and large mammal remains attributed to the beginning of the Lower Pleistocene (Biharian). The basalt flow has been previously dated to about 1.85 Ma, but the overlying volcanic ash level had not yet been dated. In this paper, we present ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of plagioclase and glass from the volcanic ash level that has yielded Quaternary fauna, lithic artefacts and several human remains, which gives an age of 1.81±0.05 Ma. The subcontemporaneity of Hominid presence and volcanic ash deposition makes Dmanisi the oldest prehistoric site currently known in Europe and proves human presence at the gates of Europe 1.81 Ma ago. To cite this article: H. de Lumley et al., C. R. Palevol 1 (2002) 181–189.     

Miocene cercopithecoidea from the Tugen Hills, Kenya

Miocene to Pleistocene fossiliferous sediments in the Tugen Hills span the time period from at least 15.5 Ma to 0.25 Ma, including time periods unknown or little known elsewhere in Africa. Consequently, the Tugen Hills deposits hold the potential to inform us about crucial phylogenetic events in African faunal evolution and about long-term environmental change. Among the specimens collected from this region are a number of discoveries already important to the understanding of primate evolution. Here, we describe additional cercopithecoid material from the Miocene deposits in the Tugen Hills sequence, including those from securely dated sites in the Muruyur Beds (16-13.4 Ma), the Mpesida Beds (7-6.2 Ma) and the Lukeino Formation (∼6.2-5.7 Ma). We also evaluate previously described material from the Ngorora Formation (13-8.8 Ma). Identified taxa include Victoriapithecidae gen. et sp. indet., cf. Parapapio lothagamensis, and at least two colobines. Specimens attributed to cf. Pp. lothagamensis would extend the species’ geographic range beyond its type locality. In addition, we describe specimens sharing derived characters with modern African colobines (Tribe: Colobina), a finding that is congruent with previous molecular estimates of colobine divergence dates. These colobine specimens represent some of the earliest known members of the modern African colobine radiation and, in contrast to previous hypotheses, suggest that early African colobines were mainly arboreal and that semi-terrestrial Late Miocene and Plio-Pleistocene colobine taxa were secondarily derived in their locomotor adaptations.     

中国新近系山旺阶建阶研究新进展

中国新近系的年代地层单位山旺阶与哺乳动物分期的山旺期相对应 ,其定义的生物带相当于欧洲的MN3～MN5 ,下界年龄应为 2 0 .5Ma。按照现代地层学的建阶原则对山东临朐的山旺剖面进行综合研究 ,得出山旺组的底界年龄约为 1 8Ma ,山旺动物群的地质时代也由原来认为的与欧洲MN5相当提早到与MN4相当。尽管如此 ,研究结果证实山旺组仍然缺失定义的山旺阶下部沉积和MN3动物群。《国际地层指南》提倡将重点放在选择下界的界线层型来确定年代地层单位 ,其上界应该由后续单位的下界来确定。甘肃兰州盆地和秦安地区有发育的渐新世至中新世沉积出露 ,并有山旺阶最底部的化石和适合于作古地磁分析的沉积物 ,因此 ,是有可能建立山旺阶下界界线层型的有利地点。     

Updated chronology for Middle to Late Miocene mammal sites of the Daroca area (Calatayud-Montalbán Basin,Spain)

The micromammal sequence of the Calatayud-Montalbán Basin in Northeast Central Spain is exceptional in terms of its faunal richness and dating accuracy. However, until now, several classical localities with ages close to the Middle to Late Miocene transition have never been directly tied to the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale. Here, we present an updated stratigraphic framework for the Daroca area, resulting in new and better-constrained ages for the micro- and macromammal-bearing sites of Toril, Carrilanga, and Pedregueras, and the macromammal site Los Andurriales. Toril is correlated to chron C5Ar.1r with an age of 12.7 Ma. Carrilanga and Los Andurriales are dated at 11.3 Ma, slightly older than the nearby sites Nombrevilla 9–10 (11.2 Ma). The fauna of these latter sites just pre-dates the entry of Hipparion, which is supposed to have its first appearance in Europe also at 11.2 Ma. The age of Pedregueras 2A is estimated at 10.6 Ma, constraining the local Zone H–I boundary and the first Iberian occurrence of Cricetulodon to 10.7 or 10.6 Ma. With an age of 10.4 Ma, the site of Pedregueras 2C is documenting the presence of very rare Murinae in Europe long (ca. half a million years) before their attainment of general dominance.     

Le site de Tögi Ndrawa, île de Nias, Sumatra nord : les premières traces d'une occupation hoabinhienne en grotte en Indonésie

The site of Tögi Ndrawa, Island of Nias, North Sumatra: The first record of a Hoabinhian cave occupation in Indonesia. Although in Indonesia, Hoabinhian sites usually refer to large shell midden dated back from the Holocene period, the Tögi Ndrawa cave in the Island of Nias (North Sumatra) has revealed a thick shell accumulation, sealed in a cavity, and beginning with the end of the Late Pleistocene. Excavations have produced classical Hoabinhian pebble artefacts, a forest and coastal fauna, and human bones. Beyond the new chronological landmarks provided by these findings, they question the extension of the Hoabinhian phenomenon originating from continental Asia, and provide hints about human settlement and use of the environment at this period of prehistory. Pour citer cet article : H. Forestier et al., C. R. Palevol 4 (2005).