Keywords
Homo floresiensis
hominin
dating
polarity
rock magnetics
How to Cite
Abstract
DOI: 10.17014/ijog.5.3.221-234
Three fossil-bearing intervals have been recognized in the Pleistocene So’a Basin, with the upper one holding important evidence of hominin fossils. The sequence also contains numerous in situ stone artifacts and fossils of other vertebrate taxa. Therefore, multiple dating techniques are crucial to secure the age of the fossil and artifact-bearing layers, especially the one with the hominin remains. This paper deals with the palaeomagnetic dating of the So’a Basin sequence to assist other dating methods that have been applied, and to refine the chronostratigraphy of the area. Palaeomagnetic sampling was conducted in four sections along a west to east transect. Four magnetozones can be recognized, consisting of two reverse and two normal polarity zones. By using the available radiometric ages as a guide and comparing the So’a Basin magnetostratigraphy with the Standard Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale (GPTS), it became clear that both reverse magnetozones are part of the Matuyama Chron, while the normal magnetozones are the Jaramillo subchron and the Brunhes Chron. These palaeomagnetic dating results support the available radiometric dates and refine the age of the fossil-bearing deposits of the So’a Basin.
References
Ao, H., An, Z., Dekkers, M.J., Li, Y., Xiao, G., Zhao, H., and Qiang, X., 2013. Pleistocene magnetochronology of the fauna and Paleolithic sites in Nihewan Basin: Significance for environmental and hominin evolution in North China. Quaternary Geochronology, 18, p.78-92. DOI: 10.1016/j.quageo.2013.06.004
Aziz, F., van den Bergh, G.D., Morwood, M.J., Hobbs, D.R., Kurniawan, I., Collins, J., and Jatmiko. 2009. Excavation at Tangi Talo, central Flores, Indonesia. In: Aziz, F., Morwood, M.J., and Bergh, G. D. van (eds.), Palaeontology and archaeology of the So’a Basin, central Flores, Indonesia. Indonesian Geological Survey Institute, Bandung, p.1-18.
Brown, P. and Maeda, T., 2009. Liang Bua Homo floresiensis mandibles and mandibular teeth: a contribution to the comparative morphology of a new hominin species. Journal of Human Evolution 57, p.571-596. DOI:10.1016/j.jhevol.2009.06.002
Brumm, A., Jensen, G.M., van den Bergh, G.D., Morwood, M.J., Kurniawan, I., Aziz, F., and Storey, M., 2010. Hominins on Flores, Indonesia, by one million years ago. Nature, 464, p.748-752. DOI:10.1038/nature08844.
Brumm, A., van den Bergh, G. D., Storey, M., Kurniawan, I., Alloway, B. V., Setiawan, R., Setiyabudi, E., Grün, R., Moore, M. W., Yurnaldi, D., Puspaningrum, M. R., Wibowo, U. P., Insani, H., Sutisna, I., Westgate, J. A., Pearce, N. J. G., Duval, M., Meijer, H. J. M., Aziz, F., Sutikna, T., van der Kaars, S., Flude, S., and Morwood, M. J., 2016. Age and context of the oldest known hominin fossils from Flores. Nature, 534, p.249-253. DOI: 10.1038/nature17663
Butler, R. F., 1998. Paleomagnetism: magnetic domains to geologic terrains. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Boston. 238pp.
Dunlop, J. D., 2002. Theory and application of the Day plot (Mrs/Msversus Hcr/Hc) 2. Application to data for rocks, sediments, and soils. Journal of Geophysical Research, 107 (B3), p.1-22. DOI: 10.1029/2001jb000487
Fisher, R.A., 1953. Dispersion on a sphere. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series A, 217, p.295-305.
Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale (GPTS), 2016. International Commission on Stratigraphy. https://www.stratigraphy.org/index.php/icschart-timescale. Accessed October 29, 2018.
Hartono, H. M. S., 1961. Geological investigation at Olabula, Flores. Djawatan Geologi, Bandung, 40pp.
Herries, A.I.R., Hopley, P., Adams, J., Curnoe, D., and Maslin, M., 2010. Geochronology and palaeoenvironments of the South African early hominin bearing sites. American Journal of Physical Anthroplogy, 143, p.640-646. DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.21389
Hounslow, M.W., 2006. PMagTools version 4.2- a tool for analysis of 2-D and 3-D directional data. https://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.19872.58880.
Hyodo, M., Watanabe, N., Sunata, W., Susanto, E. E., and Wahyono, H., 1993. Magnetostratigraphy of hominid fossil bearing formations in Sangiran and Mojokerto, Java. Anthropological Sciences, 101 (2), p.157-186. DOI: 10.1537/ase.101.157
Hyodo, M., Matsu’ura, S., Kamishima, Y., Takeshita, Y., Kitaba, I., Danhara, T., Aziz, F., Kurniawan, I., and Kumai, H., 2011. Highresolution record of the Matuyama-Brunhes transition constrains the age of Javanese Homo erectus in the Sangiran dome, Indonesia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108 (49),p.19563-19568. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1113106108
Kirschvink, J. L. 1980. The least-squares line and plane and the analysis of the palaeomagnetic data. Geophysical Journal International Vol. 62 – 3. P 699-718
Kobayashi, K.,Kitazawa, K., Kanaya, T., SAKAI, T. 1971. Magnetic and micropaleontological study of deep-sea sediments from the west-central equatorial Pacific. Deep-Sea Res. Vol. 18. P 1045-1057.
Lepre, C.J., and Kent, D.V., 2010. New magnetostratigraphy for the Olduvai Subchron in the Koobi Fora Formation, northwest Kenya, with implications for early Homo. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 290. P. 362-374.
Lurcock, P. C. and Wilson, G.S. 2012, PuffinPlot: A versatile, user-friendly program for paleomagnetic analysis. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. p 13.
McFadden, P. L. and McElhinny, M.W,. 1990. A new fold test for palaeomagnetic studies. Geophysical Journal International Vol. 279-103. p 163-169.
McElhinny, W., McFadden, P.L. 2000. Paleomagnetism: Continent and Ocean. Academic Press, San Diego. Pp 386
Morwood, M. J., O’Sullivan, P.B., Aziz, F., Raza, A. 1998. Fission-track ages of stone tools and fossils on the east Indonesian island of Flores. Nature 392. P. 173-176
Murouka, H., Nasution, A., Urai, M., Takashi, M., Takashima, I., Simanjuntak, J., Sundhoro, H., Aswin, D., Nanlohy, F., Sitorus, K., Takahashi, H., Kosek, T. 2002. Tectonic, volcanic, and stratigraphic geology of the Bajawa geothermal field, central Flores, Indonesia. Bulletin of Geological Survey of Japan 53. P 109-138.
Muttoni, G., Scardia, G., Kent, D. V., Swisher, C. C., Manzi, G. 2009. Pleistocene magnetochronology of early hominin sites at Ceprano and Fontana Ranuccio, Italy. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. 286. P. 255-268
O’Sullivan, P., Morwood, M.J., Hobbs, D., Aziz, F., Suminto, Situmorang, M. 2001. Archaeological implications of the geology and chronology of the So’a basin, Flores, Indonesia. Geology 29 – 7. P 607-610
Roberts, A. P., Y. Cui, and K. L. Verosub. 1995. Wasp-waisted hysteresis loops: Mineral magnetic characteristics and discrimination of components in mixed magnetic systems. Journal of Geophysical Research 100. P 17,909-17,924
Suminto, Morwood, M. J., Kurniawan, I., Aziz, F., van den Bergh, G. D., and Hobbs, D. R., 2009. Geology and fossil sites of the So’a Basin, central Flores, Indonesia. In: Aziz, F., Morwood, M.J., and Bergh, G. D. van (eds), Palaeontology and archaeology of the So’a Basin, central Flores, Indonesia. Indonesian Geological Survey Institute, Bandung. p.19-40. DOI:10.1130/0091-7613(2001)029%3C0607:aiotga%3E2.0.co;2
Tamrat, E., Thouveny, N., Taieb, M., and Brugal, J.P. 2014. Magnetostratigraphic study of the Melka Kunture archaeological site (Ethiopia) and its chronological implications. Quartenary
International, 343. p.5-16. DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2013.11.030
Tauxe, L., 2003. Paleomagnetic principles and practice. Kluwer academic publisher. New Jersey, USA, 314pp.
van den Bergh, G. D., 1999. The Late Neogene elephantoid-bearing faunas of Indonesia. Scripta Geologica, 117, 388pp.
van den Bergh, G.D, Kurniawan, I., Morwood, M.J., Lentfer, C.J., Suyono., Setiawan, R., Aziz, F. 2009. Environmental reconstruction of the Middle Pleistocene archaeological/palaeontological site Mata Menge, Central Flores,
Indonesia. In: Pleistocene Geology, paleontology and archaeology of the So’a basin, Central Flores, Indonesia. Special Publication Centre for Geological Survey, Indonesia. p.59-81
van den Bergh, G.D. 2010. 2010 So’a Basin field report. University of Wollongong. Unpublished.
van den Bergh, G. D., Kaifu, Y., Kurniawan, I., Kono, R.T., Brumm, A., Setiabudi, E., Aziz, F., and Morwood, M.J., 2016a. Homo floresiensis-like fossils from the early Middle Pleistocene of Flores. Nature, 534, p.245-248. DOI: 10.1038/nature17999
van den Bergh, G. D., Li, B., Brumm, A., Grün, R., Yurnaldi, D., Moore, M. W., Kurniawan, I., Setiawan, R., Aziz, F., Roberts, R. G., Suyono., Storey, M., Setiabudi, E., and Morwood, M. J. 2016b. Earliest occupation of Sulawesi, Indonesia. Nature, 529, p.208-211. DOI: 10.1038/nature16448
Zeeden, C., Hambach, U., Steguweit, L., and Anghelinu, M., 2009. Loess stratigraphy using palaeomagnetism: Application to the Poiana Cireşului archaeological site, Romania. Quaternary International, 240, (1-2), p.100-107. DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2010.08.018
Zijderveld, J. D. A., 1967. “A. C. Demagnetization of Rocks: Analysis of Results.” In: Collinson, D. W., Creer, K. M., and Runcorn, S. K. (eds.), Methods in Palaeomagnetism, Elsevier, Amsterdam, New York, p.254-286.
Zuo, T.W., Cheng, H.J., Liu, P., Xie, F., and Deng, C.L., 2011. Magnetostratigraphic dating of the Hougou Paleolithic site in the Nihewan Basin, North China. Science in China, 54. p.1643-1650. DOI: 10.1007/s11430-011-4221-2