Publications des scientifiques de l'IRD

Braucher R., Oslisly Richard, Mesfin I., Ntoutoume P. P., Aster Team. (2022). In situ-produced Be-10 and Al-26 indirect dating of Elarmekora Earlier Stone Age artefacts : first attempt in a savannah forest mosaic in the middle Ogooue valley, Gabon. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B : Biological Sciences, 377 (1849), 20200482 [12 p.]. ISSN 0962-8436.

Titre du document
In situ-produced Be-10 and Al-26 indirect dating of Elarmekora Earlier Stone Age artefacts : first attempt in a savannah forest mosaic in the middle Ogooue valley, Gabon
Année de publication
2022
Type de document
Article référencé dans le Web of Science WOS:000765263800012
Auteurs
Braucher R., Oslisly Richard, Mesfin I., Ntoutoume P. P., Aster Team
Source
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B : Biological Sciences, 2022, 377 (1849), 20200482 [12 p.] ISSN 0962-8436
Discovered in 1988 by R. Oslisly and B. Peyrot, Elarmekora is a high terrace that, today, is situated 175 m above the Ogooue River in the historical complex of Elarmekora, attached to the Lope National Park in Gabon, a World Heritage site since 2007. The site yielded a small lithic assemblage, including mainly cobble artefacts embedded within the 1 m thick alluvial material. Based on geomorphological and palaeoclimatological criteria, the preliminary dating suggested an age of 400 ka. However, Elarmekora could be a key site for Atlantic Central Africa if this lithic industry can be dated absolutely. In 2018 and 2019, two field trips were organized to collect surface samples as well as samples in vertical depth profiles with the aim of measuring their in situ-produced cosmogenic nuclide (Be-10 and Al-26) content. Results suggest a surface abandonment between 730 and 620 ka ago representing a minimum age for the cobble artefacts. Concurrently, technological reappraisal of the artefacts suggests an atypical lithic industry that should, for the moment, be considered as 'undiagnostic' Earlier Stone Age. This age bracketing may be compared with a similar age range obtained for prehistoric occupations in Angola using the same approach. This age will place Elarmekora among the oldest evidence for the presence of hominins in western Central Africa and raises the question of a 'West Side Story' to early human dispersals in Africa. This article is part of the theme issue 'Tropical forests in the deep human past'.
Plan de classement
Géologie et formations superficielles [064] ; Etudes, transformation, conservation du milieu naturel [082] ; Sociétés, développement culturel [112]
Description Géographique
GABON
Localisation
Fonds IRD [F B010084373]
Identifiant IRD
fdi:010084373
Contact