GSA Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, USA - 2016

Session No. 111
Monday, 26 September 2016: 8:00 AM-12:00 PM
Room 401 (Colorado Convention Center)

T194. The Context of Our Origins: Geological Studies of Old World Fossil Primate and Hominin Sites

GSA Sedimentary Geology Division; GSA Limnogeology Division; GSA Archaeological Geology Division; SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology); GSA Quaternary Geology and Geomorphology Division; GSA Mineralogy, Geochemistry, Petrology, and Volcanology Division; Paleontological Society
Cynthia M. Liutkus-Pierce, Christopher J. Campisano and Christopher J. Lepre, Advocates
 
8:00 AM
Introductory Remarks
8:10 AM
U-PB ZIRCON GEOCHRONOLOGY OF VOLCANIC TUFFS AND WELL CUTTINGS REVEALS INITIATION OF LATE MIOCENE-PLIOCENE SEDIMENTATION IN THE RUKWA RIFT BASIN, TANZANIA BY ~8.7 MA
HILBERT-WOLF, Hannah L.1, ROBERTS, Eric M.2, DOWNIE, Bob3, MTELELA, Cassy1, O'CONNOR, Patrick M.4 and STEVENS, Nancy J.4, (1)Geosciences, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, 4811, Australia, (2)Geosciences, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, 4810, Australia, (3)Heritage Oil Limited, London, United Kingdom, (4)Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, hannah.hilbertwolf@my.jcu.edu.au
8:25 AM
EARLY MIOCENE PALEOENVIRONMENTS OF THE HIWEGI FORMATION ON RUSINGA ISLAND (EQUATORIAL AFRICA, LAKE VICTORIA, KENYA) AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR HOMINOID EVOLUTION
PEPPE, Daniel J.1, MCNULTY, Kieran P.2, DEINO, Alan L.3, MICHEL, Lauren A.4, MCCOLLUM, Mark S.5, DRIESE, Steven G.1, DUNSWORTH, Holly M.6, HARCOURT-SMITH, William E.H.7, JENKINS, Kirsten E.2 and LEHMANN, Thomas8, (1)Terrestrial Paleoclimatology Research Group, Dept. of Geosciences, Baylor University, One Bear Place #97354, Waco, TX 76798-7354, (2)Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, 395 Hubert H. Humphrey Center, 301 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55455, (3)Berkeley Geochronology Center, 2455 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA 94709, (4)Tennessee Tech University, Department of Earth Sciences, Cookeville, TN 38505; Huffington Department of Earth Sciences, Southern Methodist University, PO Box 750395, Dallas, TX 75275-0395, (5)Railroad Commission of Texas, Austin, TX 78752; Terrestrial Paleoclimatology Research Group, Dept. of Geosciences, Baylor University, One Bear Place #97354, Waco, TX 76798-7354, (6)Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Rhode Island, 507 Chafee Building, 10 Chafee Road, Kingston, RI 02881, (7)Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, (8)Palaeontology and Messel Research Department, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Senckenberganlage 25, Frankfurt, 60325, Germany, daniel_peppe@baylor.edu
8:40 AM
DIATOMS FROM THE PLIOCENE HADAR FORMATION, AFAR DEPRESSION, ETHIOPIA
MOHAN, Joseph, Earth and Environmental Systems, Indiana State University, 600 Chestnut, Science room 159, Terre Haute, IN 47809, STONE, Jeffery R., Earth and Environmental Systems, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809 and CAMPISANO, Christopher J., Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, Jmohan@Sycamores.indstate.edu
8:55 AM
ORIGINS OF THE GENUS HOMO AND EXPANSION OF C4-DOMINATED ENVIRONMENTS DURING THE LATEST PLIOCENE IN THE LOWER AWASH VALLEY, ETHIOPIA
ROBINSON, Joshua R.1, ROWAN, John1, CAMPISANO, Christopher J.1, WYNN, Jonathan G.2 and REED, Kaye E.1, (1)Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, (2)School of Geosciences, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave, SCA 528, NES 107, Tampa, FL 33620, jrrobinson@asu.edu
9:10 AM
A COMPARISON OF PALEOSOLS FROM OLDOWAN AND ACHEULIAN SITES AT GONA, ETHIOPIA
STINCHCOMB, Gary E., Watershed Studies Institute & Dept. of Geosciences, Murray State University, 334 Blackburn Hall, Murray, KY 42071, LEVIN, Naomi E., Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, 2534 C. C. Little Building, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1005, PEPPE, Daniel J., Terrestrial Paleoclimatology Research Group, Dept. of Geosciences, Baylor University, One Bear Place #97354, Waco, TX 76798-7354, DIPIETRO, Lyndsay, Department of Geology, Baylor University, One Bear Place #97354, Waco, TX 76798, ROGERS, Michael J., Department of Anthropology, Southern Connecticut State University, 501 Crescent Street, New Haven, CT 06515 and SEMAW, Sileshi, Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), Sierra de Atapuerca 3, Burgos, 09002, Spain, gstinchcomb@murraystate.edu
9:25 AM
GEOCHRONOLOGY AND STRATIGRAPHY FOR PALEOANTHROPOLOGY SITES FROM EAST-CENTRAL AREA 130, KOOBI FORA, KENYA
MANA, Sara, Geological Sciences, Salem State University, Salem, MA 01970, LEPRE, Christopher J., Paleomagnetics Laboratory, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, 61 Route 9W, PO Box 100, Palisades, NY 10964-8000, HEMMING, Sidney, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964 and KENT, Dennis V., Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Rutgers University, 610 Taylor Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, manasara.geo@gmail.com
9:40 AM
MAPPING TURKANA: TOOLS TO HELP US ALL
RAYNOLDS, Robert G., Department of Earth Sciences, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO 80205, bobraynolds@yahoo.com
 
9:55 AM
Break
10:10 AM
EXPLORING THE UTILITY OF CARBON ISOTOPE ANALYSES OF MICROMAMMAL TOOTH ENAMEL AS AN ENVIRONMENTAL PROXY
LEICHLITER, Jennifer N., Anthropology, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80304, jenniferleichliter@gmail.com
10:25 AM
THE IMPORTANCE OF SPRINGS FOR HOMININ SURVIVAL
ASHLEY, Gail M., Earth and Planetary Sciences, Rutgers University, 610 Taylor Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854 and CUTHBERT, Mark O., School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Univ of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom, gmashley@rci.rutgers.edu
10:40 AM
A TUFF JOB: LINKING CORES TO OUTCROP USING TEPHROSTRATIGRAPHY AT PLEISTOCENE OLDUVAI GORGE, TANZANIA
MCHENRY, Lindsay J.1, NJAU, Jackson, K.2, STANISTREET, Ian G.3, STOLLHOFEN, Harald4, DEINO, Alan L.5, SCHICK, Kathy2 and TOTH, Nick6, (1)Department of Geosciences, University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, 3209 N Maryland Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53211, (2)Dept. of Geological Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, (3)Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom, (4)GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Friedrich-Alexander-University (FAU), Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany, (5)Berkeley Geochronology Center, 2455 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA 94709, (6)Stone Age Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47407, lmchenry@uwm.edu
10:55 AM
ORGANIC GEOCHEMICAL PROXIES OF CLIMATIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE FROM THE SEDIMENTARY RECORD OF OLDUVAI GORGE (~1.85 - 1.88MA)
COLCORD, Devon Elizabeth1, SHILLING, Andrea M.1, FREEMAN, Katherine H.2, NJAU, Jackson, K.3, STANISTREET, Ian G.4, STOLLHOFEN, Harald5, SCHICK, Kathy6, TOTH, Nick7 and BRASSELL, Simon C.1, (1)Geological Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, (2)Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, 235 Deike Building, University Park, PA 16802, (3)Dept. of Geological Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN; The Stone Age Institute, Bloomington, IN 47407-5097, (4)The Stone Age Institute, Bloomington, IN 47407-5097; Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom, (5)GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Friedrich-Alexander-University (FAU), Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany, (6)Dept. of Geological Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, (7)Stone Age Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47407, dcolcord@indiana.edu
11:10 AM
CLIMATE IMPACT ON HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN THE UPPER PALEOLITHIC OF THE ARMENIAN HIGHLANDS
BRITTINGHAM, Alex, Department of Anthropology, Univeristy of Connecticut, Unit 1176, 354 Mansfield Road, Storrs, CT 06269, HREN, Michael T., Center for Integrative Geosciences & Dept. of Chemistry, University of Connecticut, 354 Mansfield Road, Storrs, CT 06269, KANDEL, Andrew W., Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, “The Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans” at the University of Tübingen, Rümelinstr. 23, D-72070, Tübingen, Germany, FRAHM, Ellery, Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, Humphrey Center #395, 301 19th Ave South, Minneapolis, MN 55455, GASPARYAN, Boris, Institute for Archaeology and Ethnography, National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, Yerevan, 0025, Armenia and HARTMAN, Gideon, Anthropology Department, Univeristy of Connecticut, Unit 1176, 354 Mansfield Road, Storrs, CT 06269, alexander.brittingham@uconn.edu
11:25 AM
THE MENENGAI TUFF: A 36 KA WIDESPREAD TEPHRA AND ITS CHRONOLOGICAL RELEVANCE TO LATE PLEISTOCENE HUMAN EVOLUTION IN EAST AFRICA
BLEGEN, Nick1, BROWN, Francis H.2, JICHA, Brian R.3, BINETTI, Katie M.4, FAITH, J. Tyler5, FERRARO, Joseph V.4, RICHARDSON, Jonathan L.6, TRYON, Christian A.7 and GATHOGO, Patrick2, (1)Anthropology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138, (2)Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, 115 S 1460 E Room 383, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, (3)Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin, 1215 W. Dayton St., Madison, WI 53706, (4)Department of Anthropology and Institute of Archaeology, Baylor University, Baylor University, 1214 S. 4th Street, Waco, TX 76798, (5)School of Social Science, University of Queensland, Michie Building (#9), Brisbane, 4072, Australia, (6)Department of Biology, Franklin & Marshall College, P.O. BOX 3003, Lancaster, PA 17604, (7)Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, nick_blegen@fas.harvard.edu
11:40 AM
SHORE-ZONE DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE MEGALITH ARCHEOLOGY OF LOTHAGAM, NORTHWEST KENYA
LEPRE, Christopher J., Paleomagnetics Laboratory, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, 61 Route 9W, PO Box 100, Palisades, NY 10964-8000, lepre@ldeo.columbia.edu
 
11:55 AM
Concluding Remarks
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