Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-qsmjn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T05:11:44.377Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

New Magnetostratigraphic Dates of Lantian Homo erectus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

An Zhisheng
Affiliation:
Xian Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology Academia Sinica, P.O. Box 17, Xian, The People's Republic of China
Ho Chuan Kun
Affiliation:
1003 East Hellman Avenue No. 45, Monterey Park, California 91754

Abstract

Skeletal remains of Homo erectus found in Pleistocene loess at two sites near Lantian in central China are of greatly different geologic age. The cranium found in the fossil-bearing strata at Gongwangling is about 1.15 myr old whereas the remains found at the Chenjiawo locality in middle Pleistocene loess are about 0.65 myr old. The dating is based on new paleomagnetic polarity determinations and on the lithostratigraphic position of the fossils in the loess-paleosol sequence. Our results confirm that both localities are older than the first occupation of Zhoukoudian. New dates, palaeoenvironmental settings, and morphological features of the hominids from Lantian localities have significant bearing on the understanding of adaptive radiations of the middle and late hominids in Asia.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aigner, J.S. Laughlin, W.S., (1973). The dating of Lantian man and his significance for analyzing trends in human evolution American Journal of Physical Anthropology 39, 97110 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
An, Z.S. Liu, T.S. Zhou, Y.Z. Sun, F.Q., (1987). The Paleosol complex in the China loess plateau—A record of climatic optimum during the last 1.2 Ma. GeoJournal 15, 141143 Google Scholar
Cheng, G.L. Li, S.L. Lin, J.L., (1978). A research on the ages of the strata of “Lantian Man.” Collected Papers of Palaeoanthropology Science Press Beijing 151157 Google Scholar
Foley, R., (1987). Another Unique Species Longman Scientific & Technical New York Google Scholar
Gould, S.J. Vrba, E.S., (1982). Exadaptation—A missing term in the science of form Paleobiology 8, 415 Google Scholar
Guo, S.L. Zhou, S.H. Meng, W. Zhang, R.F. Shun, S.F. Hu, R.Y. Liu, J.F., (1980). The dating of Peking Man by the fission track technique Kehue Tongbao 25, 384 Google Scholar
Hu, C.K. Qi, T., (1978). Gongwangling Pleistocene Mammalian Fauna of Lantian, Shaanxi Science Press Beijing Paleontologia Sinica, Whole Number 155, New series C, Number 21 Google Scholar
Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica (1966). A study on fossil botany of Cenozoic in Lantian, Shaanxi Proceedings of Field Symposium on Lantian Cenozoic in Shaanxi Province Science Press Beijing 172173 Google Scholar
Jia, L.P. Zhang, Y.P. Huang, W.P. Tang, Y.J. Ji, H.X. You, Y.Z. Ding, S.Y. Huang, X.S., (1966). The Cenozoic formation in Lantian of Shaanxi Province Proceedings of Field Symposium on Lantian Cenozoic in Shaanxi Province Science Press Beijing Google Scholar
Kukla, G., (1987). Loess stratigraphy in Central China Quaternary Science Reviews 191219 Google Scholar
Liu, T.S., (1985). Loess and the Environment Science Press Beijing Google Scholar
Liu, T.S. An, Z.S. Yuan, B.Y. Han, J.M., (1985). The Loess-Paleosol sequence in China and climatic history Episode 8, 2127 Google Scholar
Liu, T.S. Ding, M.L., (1984). A tentative chronological correlation of early human fossil horizons in China with the loess-deep sea records Acta Anthropologica Sinica 3, 93101 Google Scholar
Ma, X.H. Qian, F. Li, P. Ju, S.Q., (1978). Palaeomagnetic dating of Lantian Man Vertebrata PalAsiatica 8, 117 Google Scholar
Matsu'uram, S., (1982). A chronological framework for the Sangiran hominids Bulletin of the National Science Museum of Tokyo 8, 1053 Google Scholar
Mizoguchi, Y., (1985). Shovelling: A Statistical Analysis of Its Morphology Univ. of Tokyo Press Tokyo Google Scholar
Pope, G.G., (1983). Evidence for the age of the Asian Hominidae Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, United States of America 80, 49884992 Google Scholar
Pope, G.G., (1988). Recent advances in Far Eastern paleoanthropology Ann. Rev, Anthropolo. 17, 4377 Google Scholar
Russell, M.D., (1985). The supraorbital torus: “A most remarkable peculiarity” Current Anthropology 26, 337360 Google Scholar
Sartono, S., (1982). Characteristics and chronology of early man in Java Congre's international de pale' ontologie Humaine, Nice Pre' stirage 491533 Google Scholar
Tattersall, I., (1986). Species recognition in human paleontology Journal of Human Evolution 15, 165176 Google Scholar
Tooby, J. DeVore, I., (1987). The reconstruction of hominid behavioral evolution through strategic modelling Kinzey, W.G. The Evolution of Human Behavior: Primate Models State Univ. of New York Press New York 183237 Google Scholar
Walker, A., (1984). An extinction in hominid evolution Nitecki, M.H. Extinctions The Univ. of Chicago Press Chicago Google Scholar
Wu, J.K., (1966). The hominid skull of Lantian, Shaanxi Vertebrata PalAsiatica 10, 122 Google Scholar
Wu, J.K., (1964). Mandible of the Sinanthropus-type discovered at Lantian, Shaanxi Vertebrata PalAsiatica 8, 117 Google Scholar
Wu, X.Z. Yuan, Z.X. Han, D.F. Qi, T. Liu, Q.W., (1966). Report of the excavation at Lantian Man locality of Gongwangling in 1965 Vertebrata PalAsiatica 10, 2329 Google Scholar
Zhou, M.C., (1964). Mammals of “Lantian Man” locality at Lantian, Shaanxi Vertebrata PalAsiatica 8, 301307 Google Scholar
Zhou, M.C. Li, C.K., (1965). Mammalian fossil in association with the mandible of Lantian Man at Chenjiawo in Lantian, Shaanxi Vertebrata PalAsiatica 9, 377393 Google Scholar