Revised age and stratigraphy of the classic Homo erectus-bearing succession at Trinil (Java, Indonesia) - Université de Rennes Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue (Article De Synthèse) Quaternary Science Reviews Année : 2023

Revised age and stratigraphy of the classic Homo erectus-bearing succession at Trinil (Java, Indonesia)

Tom A. Veldkamp
Dida Yurnaldi
  • Fonction : Auteur
Tony Reimann
  • Fonction : Auteur
Norbert Nowaczyk
  • Fonction : Auteur
Klaudia F. Kuiper
Wout Krijgsman
Hubert B. Vonhof
Dian Rahayu Ekowati
  • Fonction : Auteur
Gerrit Alink
  • Fonction : Auteur
Olafianto Drespriputra
  • Fonction : Auteur
Alexander Verpoorte
Remco Bos
Truman Simanjuntak
  • Fonction : Auteur
Bagyo Prasetyo
  • Fonction : Auteur
Josephine C.A. Joordens

Résumé

Obtaining accurate age control for fossils found on Java (Indonesia) has been and remains challenging due to geochronologic and stratigraphic uncertainties. In the 1890s, Dubois excavated numerous faunal fossils—including the first remains of Homo erectus—in sediments exposed along the Solo River at Trinil. Since then, various, and often contradictory age estimates have been proposed for the Trinil site and its fossils. However, the age of the fossil-bearing layers and the fossil assemblage remains inconclusive. This study constructs a chronostratigraphic framework for the Trinil site by documenting new stratigraphic sections and test pits, and by applying 40Ar/39Ar, paleomagnetic, and luminescence (pIRIR290) dating methods. Our study identifies two distinct, highly fossiliferous channel fills at the Trinil site. The stratigraphically lower Bone-Bearing Channel 1 (BBC-1) dates to 830–773 ka, while Bone-Bearing Channel 2 (BBC-2) is substantially younger with a maximum age of 450 ± 110 ka and an inferred minimum age of 430 ± 50 ka. Furthermore, significantly younger T2 terrace deposits are present at similar low elevations as BBC-1 and BBC-2. Our results demonstrate the presence of Early and Middle Pleistocene, and potentially even late Middle to Late Pleistocene fossiliferous sediments within the historical excavation area, suggesting that Dubois excavated fossils from at least three highly fossiliferous units with different ages. Moreover, evidence for reworking suggests that material found in the fossil-rich strata may originate from older deposits, introducing an additional source of temporal heterogeneity in the Trinil fossil assemblage. This challenges the current assumption that the Trinil H.K. fauna –which includes Homo erectus-is a homogeneous biostratigraphic unit. Furthermore, this scenario might explain why the Trinil skullcap collected by Dubois is tentatively grouped with Homo erectus fossils from Early Pleistocene sediments at Sangiran, while Trinil Femur I shares affinities with hominin fossils of Late Pleistocene age.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
1-s2.0-S027737912200539X-main.pdf (8.94 Mo) Télécharger le fichier
Origine : Fichiers éditeurs autorisés sur une archive ouverte

Dates et versions

insu-03917964 , version 1 (02-01-2023)

Licence

Paternité

Identifiants

Citer

Sander L. Hilgen, Eduard Pop, Shinatria Adhityatama, Tom A. Veldkamp, Harold W.K. Berghuis, et al.. Revised age and stratigraphy of the classic Homo erectus-bearing succession at Trinil (Java, Indonesia). Quaternary Science Reviews, 2023, 301, pp.107908. ⟨10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107908⟩. ⟨insu-03917964⟩
65 Consultations
40 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More