Geology and chronology of the Ndutu and Naisiusiu type sites: implications for Middle and Later Stone Age occupations at Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)

Olduvai Gorge (northern Tanzania) preserves a rich and continuous paleoanthropological record spanning the past two million years. While its Early Stone Age occupations have been intensively studied, the Middle and Later Stone Age sequences, represented by the Ndutu and Naisiusiu Beds, remain less u...

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Autores: Martín Perea, David Manuel, Medialdea, Alicia, Abellán, Natalia, Solano Megías, Irene, Arteaga, Carlos, Rodríguez Hidalgo, Antonio, Uribelarrea Del Val, David, Arroyo Rey, Xabier, Gidna, Agness, Mabulla, Audax
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/124358
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/124358
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:569.89(678)
903(678)
Middle Stone Age
Later Stone Age
Luminescence dating
Africa
Olduvai
Human evolution
Archaeology
Paleontología
Geología estratigráfica
2416.05 Paleontología de Los Vertebrados
2506.19 Estratigrafía
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spelling Geology and chronology of the Ndutu and Naisiusiu type sites: implications for Middle and Later Stone Age occupations at Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)Martín Perea, David ManuelMedialdea, AliciaAbellán, NataliaSolano Megías, IreneArteaga, CarlosRodríguez Hidalgo, AntonioUribelarrea Del Val, DavidArroyo Rey, XabierGidna, AgnessMabulla, Audax569.89(678)903(678)Middle Stone AgeLater Stone AgeLuminescence datingAfricaOlduvaiHuman evolutionArchaeologyPaleontologíaGeología estratigráfica2416.05 Paleontología de Los Vertebrados2506.19 EstratigrafíaOlduvai Gorge (northern Tanzania) preserves a rich and continuous paleoanthropological record spanning the past two million years. While its Early Stone Age occupations have been intensively studied, the Middle and Later Stone Age sequences, represented by the Ndutu and Naisiusiu Beds, remain less understood. This study presents new geological and geochronological data from the type localities of the Ndutu and Naisiusiu Beds. Using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), we establish a revised chronological framework for these sedimentary units. The Lower Ndutu Beds, composed of fluvially reworked conglomerates and sands capped by a trachytic tuff and silts, are now dated between 152.9 ± 11.6 ka and 122.9 ± 8.3 ka. The Upper Ndutu Beds include archaeologically rich sandy and silty facies and are dated between 86.9 ± 4.5 ka and 70.8 ± 10.4 ka. At the Naisiusiu type site, a sequence of fluvial, sheetwash, and aeolian deposits yielded OSL dates ranging from 65.3 ± 4.4 ka to 32.8 ± 2.2 ka, suggesting that the LSA occupation at Olduvai began significantly earlier than previously assumed. These results provide refined age estimates for the Middle and Later Stone Age deposits at Olduvai Gorge and confirm a relatively rapid transition between these two technocomplexes during the Late Pleistocene. The data strengthen regional correlations with sites like Nasera and Mumba, providing critical chronological resolution to ongoing debates about the tempo and mode of behavioural evolution in eastern Africa.ElsevierUniversidad Complutense de Madrid20252025-11-1520252025-11-15journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501VoRhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/124358reponame:Docta Complutenseinstname:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)Inglésengopen accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2Attribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/1243582026-06-02T12:44:21Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Geology and chronology of the Ndutu and Naisiusiu type sites: implications for Middle and Later Stone Age occupations at Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)
title Geology and chronology of the Ndutu and Naisiusiu type sites: implications for Middle and Later Stone Age occupations at Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)
spellingShingle Geology and chronology of the Ndutu and Naisiusiu type sites: implications for Middle and Later Stone Age occupations at Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)
Martín Perea, David Manuel
569.89(678)
903(678)
Middle Stone Age
Later Stone Age
Luminescence dating
Africa
Olduvai
Human evolution
Archaeology
Paleontología
Geología estratigráfica
2416.05 Paleontología de Los Vertebrados
2506.19 Estratigrafía
title_short Geology and chronology of the Ndutu and Naisiusiu type sites: implications for Middle and Later Stone Age occupations at Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)
title_full Geology and chronology of the Ndutu and Naisiusiu type sites: implications for Middle and Later Stone Age occupations at Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)
title_fullStr Geology and chronology of the Ndutu and Naisiusiu type sites: implications for Middle and Later Stone Age occupations at Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)
title_full_unstemmed Geology and chronology of the Ndutu and Naisiusiu type sites: implications for Middle and Later Stone Age occupations at Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)
title_sort Geology and chronology of the Ndutu and Naisiusiu type sites: implications for Middle and Later Stone Age occupations at Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania)
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Martín Perea, David Manuel
Medialdea, Alicia
Abellán, Natalia
Solano Megías, Irene
Arteaga, Carlos
Rodríguez Hidalgo, Antonio
Uribelarrea Del Val, David
Arroyo Rey, Xabier
Gidna, Agness
Mabulla, Audax
author Martín Perea, David Manuel
author_facet Martín Perea, David Manuel
Medialdea, Alicia
Abellán, Natalia
Solano Megías, Irene
Arteaga, Carlos
Rodríguez Hidalgo, Antonio
Uribelarrea Del Val, David
Arroyo Rey, Xabier
Gidna, Agness
Mabulla, Audax
author_role author
author2 Medialdea, Alicia
Abellán, Natalia
Solano Megías, Irene
Arteaga, Carlos
Rodríguez Hidalgo, Antonio
Uribelarrea Del Val, David
Arroyo Rey, Xabier
Gidna, Agness
Mabulla, Audax
author2_role author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv Universidad Complutense de Madrid
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv 569.89(678)
903(678)
Middle Stone Age
Later Stone Age
Luminescence dating
Africa
Olduvai
Human evolution
Archaeology
Paleontología
Geología estratigráfica
2416.05 Paleontología de Los Vertebrados
2506.19 Estratigrafía
topic 569.89(678)
903(678)
Middle Stone Age
Later Stone Age
Luminescence dating
Africa
Olduvai
Human evolution
Archaeology
Paleontología
Geología estratigráfica
2416.05 Paleontología de Los Vertebrados
2506.19 Estratigrafía
description Olduvai Gorge (northern Tanzania) preserves a rich and continuous paleoanthropological record spanning the past two million years. While its Early Stone Age occupations have been intensively studied, the Middle and Later Stone Age sequences, represented by the Ndutu and Naisiusiu Beds, remain less understood. This study presents new geological and geochronological data from the type localities of the Ndutu and Naisiusiu Beds. Using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), we establish a revised chronological framework for these sedimentary units. The Lower Ndutu Beds, composed of fluvially reworked conglomerates and sands capped by a trachytic tuff and silts, are now dated between 152.9 ± 11.6 ka and 122.9 ± 8.3 ka. The Upper Ndutu Beds include archaeologically rich sandy and silty facies and are dated between 86.9 ± 4.5 ka and 70.8 ± 10.4 ka. At the Naisiusiu type site, a sequence of fluvial, sheetwash, and aeolian deposits yielded OSL dates ranging from 65.3 ± 4.4 ka to 32.8 ± 2.2 ka, suggesting that the LSA occupation at Olduvai began significantly earlier than previously assumed. These results provide refined age estimates for the Middle and Later Stone Age deposits at Olduvai Gorge and confirm a relatively rapid transition between these two technocomplexes during the Late Pleistocene. The data strengthen regional correlations with sites like Nasera and Mumba, providing critical chronological resolution to ongoing debates about the tempo and mode of behavioural evolution in eastern Africa.
publishDate 2025
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2025
2025-11-15
2025
2025-11-15
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv journal article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
VoR
http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
dc.type.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/124358
url https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/124358
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
eng
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Attribution 4.0 International
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.rights.openaire.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv open access
http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2
Attribution 4.0 International
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:Docta Complutense
instname:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
instname_str Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
reponame_str Docta Complutense
collection Docta Complutense
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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score 15,812429

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