Chronology for the Cueva Victoria fossil site (SE Spain): Evidence for Early Pleistocene Afro-Iberian dispersals

Autoren

Luis Gibert
Gary R Scott
Denis Scholz
Alexander Budsky
Carles Ferràndez
Francesc Ribot
Robert A Martin
María Lería

DOI

10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.08.002

ISSN

0047-2484

Zeitschrift

Journal of Human Evolution

Sprache

en

Paginierung

183 - 197

Datum der Veröffentlichung

2016

Status

Published

Herausgeber

Elsevier BV

Herausgeber URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.08.002

Datum der Datenerfassung

2019

Titel

Chronology for the Cueva Victoria fossil site (SE Spain): Evidence for Early Pleistocene Afro-Iberian dispersals

Ausgabe der Zeitschrift

90

Datenquelle: Crossref

Abstract

Cueva Victoria has provided remains of more than 90 species of fossil vertebrates, including a hominin phalanx, and the only specimens of the African cercopithecid Theropithecus oswaldi in Europe. To constrain the age of the vertebrate remains we used paleomagnetism, vertebrate biostratigraphy and (230)Th/U dating. Normal polarity was identified in the non-fossiliferous lowest and highest stratigraphic units (red clay and capping flowstones) while reverse polarity was found in the intermediate stratigraphic unit (fossiliferous breccia). A lower polarity change occurred during the deposition of the decalcification clay, when the cave was closed and karstification was active. A second polarity change occurred during the capping flowstone formation, when the upper galleries were filled with breccia. The mammal association indicates a post-Jaramillo age, which allows us to correlate this upper reversal with the Brunhes-Matuyama boundary (0.78 Ma). Consequently, the lower reversal (N-R) is interpreted as the end of the Jaramillo magnetochron (0.99 Ma). These ages bracket the age of the fossiliferous breccia between 0.99 and 0.78 Ma, suggesting that the capping flowstone was formed during the wet Marine Isotopic Stage 19, which includes the Brunhes-Matuyama boundary. Fossil remains of Theropithecus have been only found in situ ∼1 m below the B/M boundary, which allows us to place the arrival of Theropithecus to Cueva Victoria at ∼0.9-0.85 Ma. The fauna of Cueva Victoria lived during a period of important climatic change, known as the Early-Middle Pleistocene Climatic Transition. The occurrence of the oldest European Acheulean tools at the contemporaneous nearby site of Cueva Negra suggest an African dispersal into SE Iberia through the Strait of Gibraltar during MIS 22, when sea-level was ∼100 m below its present position, allowing the passage into Europe of, at least, Theropithecus and Homo bearing Acheulean technology.

Addresses

Departament de Geoquímica, Petrologia i Prospecció Geològica, Universitat de Barcelona, C/Martí i Franqués s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: lgibert@ub.edu.

Autoren

Luis Gibert
Gary R Scott
Denis Scholz
Alexander Budsky
Carles Ferràndez
Francesc Ribot
Robert A Martin
María Lería

DOI

10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.08.002

eISSN

1095-8606

Externe Identifier

PubMed Identifier: 26581114

Open access

false

ISSN

0047-2484

Zeitschrift

Journal of human evolution

Schlüsselwörter

Animals
Mammals
Theropithecus
Hominidae
Animal Migration
Fossils
Africa, Northern
Spain
Biological Evolution
Caves

Sprache

eng

Medium

Print-Electronic

Online publication date

2015

Paginierung

183 - 197

Datum der Veröffentlichung

2016

Status

Published

Datum der Datenerfassung

2015

Titel

Chronology for the Cueva Victoria fossil site (SE Spain): Evidence for Early Pleistocene Afro-Iberian dispersals.

Sub types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Journal Article

Ausgabe der Zeitschrift

90

Datenquelle: Europe PubMed Central

Abstract

Cueva Victoria has provided remains of more than 90 species of fossil vertebrates, including a hominin phalanx, and the only specimens of the African cercopithecid Theropithecus oswaldi in Europe. To constrain the age of the vertebrate remains we used paleomagnetism, vertebrate biostratigraphy and (230)Th/U dating. Normal polarity was identified in the non-fossiliferous lowest and highest stratigraphic units (red clay and capping flowstones) while reverse polarity was found in the intermediate stratigraphic unit (fossiliferous breccia). A lower polarity change occurred during the deposition of the decalcification clay, when the cave was closed and karstification was active. A second polarity change occurred during the capping flowstone formation, when the upper galleries were filled with breccia. The mammal association indicates a post-Jaramillo age, which allows us to correlate this upper reversal with the Brunhes-Matuyama boundary (0.78 Ma). Consequently, the lower reversal (N-R) is interpreted as the end of the Jaramillo magnetochron (0.99 Ma). These ages bracket the age of the fossiliferous breccia between 0.99 and 0.78 Ma, suggesting that the capping flowstone was formed during the wet Marine Isotopic Stage 19, which includes the Brunhes-Matuyama boundary. Fossil remains of Theropithecus have been only found in situ ∼1 m below the B/M boundary, which allows us to place the arrival of Theropithecus to Cueva Victoria at ∼0.9-0.85 Ma. The fauna of Cueva Victoria lived during a period of important climatic change, known as the Early-Middle Pleistocene Climatic Transition. The occurrence of the oldest European Acheulean tools at the contemporaneous nearby site of Cueva Negra suggest an African dispersal into SE Iberia through the Strait of Gibraltar during MIS 22, when sea-level was ∼100 m below its present position, allowing the passage into Europe of, at least, Theropithecus and Homo bearing Acheulean technology.

Date of acceptance

2015

Autoren

Luis Gibert
Gary R Scott
Denis Scholz
Alexander Budsky
Carles Ferràndez
Francesc Ribot
Robert A Martin
María Lería

Autoren-URL

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26581114

DOI

10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.08.002

eISSN

1095-8606

Zeitschrift

J Hum Evol

Schlüsselwörter

(230)Th/U dating
Afro-Iberian dispersal
Early humans
MIS 22
Magnetostratigraphy
Theropithecus
Africa, Northern
Animal Migration
Animals
Biological Evolution
Caves
Fossils
Hominidae
Mammals
Spain
Theropithecus

Sprache

eng

Country

England

Paginierung

183 - 197

PII

S0047-2484(15)00196-7

Datum der Veröffentlichung

2016

Status

Published

Datum, an dem der Datensatz öffentlich gemacht wurde

2016

Titel

Chronology for the Cueva Victoria fossil site (SE Spain): Evidence for Early Pleistocene Afro-Iberian dispersals.

Sub types

Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Ausgabe der Zeitschrift

90

Datenquelle: PubMed

Chronology for the Cueva Victoria fossil site (SE Spain): Evidence for Early Pleistocene Afro-Iberian dispersals

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