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New paleomagnetic data from the hominin bearing Dmanisi paleo-anthropologic site (southern Georgia, Caucasus)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

M. Calvo-Rathert ,
A. Goguitchaichvili ,
D. Sologashvili ,
J.J. Villalaín ,
M.F. Bógalo ,
A. Carrancho  and
G. Maissuradze
M. Calvo-Rathert*
Affiliation:
Dpto. Física, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Univ. Burgos, Av. Cantabria, s/n, 09006 Burgos, Spain
A. Goguitchaichvili
Affiliation:
Lab. Interinstitucional de Magnetismo Natural, Inst. Geofisica, Sede Michoacan, UNAM, Morelia, Mexico
D. Sologashvili
Affiliation:
Department of Geophysics, Ivane Javakhishvili Sate University of Tbilisi, Georgia
J.J. Villalaín
Affiliation:
Dpto. Física, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Univ. Burgos, Av. Cantabria, s/n, 09006 Burgos, Spain
M.F. Bógalo
Affiliation:
Dpto. Física, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Univ. Burgos, Av. Cantabria, s/n, 09006 Burgos, Spain
A. Carrancho
Affiliation:
Dpto. Física, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Univ. Burgos, Av. Cantabria, s/n, 09006 Burgos, Spain
G. Maissuradze
Affiliation:
Geological Institute, Georgian Academy of Sciences, M. Alexidze Str. 1, 380093 Tbilisi, Georgia
*
*Corresponding author.E-mail address:mcalvo@ubu.es (M. Calvo-Rathert).
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Abstract

The Dmanisi site has yielded human remains and lithic industry associated with Late Pliocene–early Pleistocene fauna. The site is composed of volcanogenic sediments overlying basaltic lava flows. The lithostratigraphic sequence comprises two basic depositional units: Unit A, overlying the basalt flows, and Unit B on top. A paleomagnetic and rock-magnetic study has been carried out on 106 specimens from Units A and B and the uppermost basalt flow. The lava and Unit A provide normal polarities, while reversed polarities and anomalous directions are observed in Unit B, the latter probably due to overlapping of a secondary and a primary reversed polarity component. The lower part of the section shows a clear correlation with the Olduvai subchron, and the upper levels could be as young as 1.07 Ma. As human remains were found both in units with normal and reversed polarity, different non-contemporaneous human occupations might have been possible.

Keywords

PaleomagnetismPliocenePleistoceneDmanisiHuman evolutionCaucasus
Type
Short Paper
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 69 , Issue 1 , January 2008 , pp. 91 - 96
Copyright
Elsevier Inc.

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