FORMATION PROCESSES AT DMANISI, A PLIO-PLEISTOCENE LOCALITY IN THE GEORGIAN CAUSASUS

The Dmanisi Site, dated to ca. 1.8 Ma, is oldest hominin-bearing site known in Eurasia. Situated in the southern Republic of Georgia, Dmanisi has yielded a large number of remarkably preserved hominin remains, extensive vertebrate fossils, and associated archaeological materials. Dmanisi’s unusually complex formational history is preserved in 3-4 m of serially deposited ashes, which overlie the 1.85 Ma Masavera Basalt, and include multiple soils, bioturbation features and erosional disconformities. Early in the site’s history, groundwater controlled pipes formed in the lower strata, following the relief of the basalt. Collapsed pipes evolved into small gullies, which filled with stratified deposits and archaeological horizons. Formation of both pedogenic and groundwater calcretes sealed the deposits, contributing to the excellent preservation of the human fossils and archaeological materials.