First occurrence of early Homo in the Nachukui Formation (West Turkana, Kenya) at 2.3-2.4 Myr

Cognitive abilities and techno-economic behaviours of hominids in the time period between 2.6-2.3 Myr have become increasingly well-documented. This time period corresponds to the oldest evidence for stone tools at Gona (Kada Gona, West Gona, EG 10-12, OGS 6-7), Hadar (AL 666), lower Omo valley (Ftji1, 2 & 5, Omo 57, Omo 123) in Ethiopia, and West Turkana (Lokalalei sites -LA1 & LA2C-) in Kenya. In 2002 a new palaeoanthropological site (LA1alpha), 100 meters south of the LA1 archaeological site, produced a first right lower molar of a juvenile hominid (KNM-WT 42718). The relative small size of the crown, its marked MD elongation and BL reduction, the relative position of the cusps, the lack of a C6 and the mild expression of a protostylid, reinforced by metrical analyses, demonstrate the distinctiveness of this tooth compared with Australopithecus afarensis, A. anamensis, A. africanus and Paranthropus boisei, and its similarity to early Homo. The LA1alpha site lies 2.2 m above the Ekalalei Tuff which is slightly younger than Tuff F dated to 2.34+/-0.04 Myr. This juvenile specimen represents the oldest occurrence of the genus Homo in West Turkana.     

Les sites archéologiques plio-pléistocènes de la formation de Nachukui, Ouest-Turkana, Kenya : bilan synthétique 1997–2001

Plio-Pleistocene archaeological sites in the Nachukui Formation, West Turkana, Kenya: synthetic results 1997–2001. Stretched along the western side of the Turkana Basin, the Nachukui Formation preserves a large number of Plio-Pleistocene archaeological sites. Research carried out by the WTAP documents hominid behavioral evolution and technical diversity, through a time period ranging from 2.35 Myr to 0.7 Myr and within a relatively precise chronostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental frame. This work is based on comprehensive excavations conducted between 1997 and 2001 at the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene site complexes of the formation. To cite this article: H. Roche et al., C.R. Palevol 2 (2003).     

Faunes et paléoenvironnements des principaux sites archéologiques plio-pléistocènes de la formation de Nachukui (Ouest-Turkana, Kenya)

Faunas and paleoenvironments from main archaeological Plio-Pleistocene sites of the Nachukui Formation (West Turkana, Kenya). The Nachukui Formation is currently under archaeological investigation, especially within the Kalochoro (2.35 – 1.9 Myr) and Kaitio (1.9 – 1.65 Myr) Members. Six main archaeological sites have been excavated from this time period, which yield rich vertebrate faunas collected in situ or in close vicinity to the site. Paleontological studies help to precise the specific diversity for each site and increase our documentation for each Member with the discovery of new taxa. They allow to provide new informations about the biotope diversities exploited by Hominids and show a climatic tendency towards more humid environment between the Members. To cite this article: J.-P. Brugal et al., C.R. Palevol 2 (2003).