Ichnological and archaeological evidence from Gombore II OAM, Melka Kunture, Ethiopia: An integrated approach to reconstruct local environments and biological presences between 1.2 and 0.85 Ma

Reading Prehistoric Human Tracks : Methods & Material

Fossil footprints at the late lower Paleolithic site of Schöningen (Germany): A new line of research to reconstruct animal and hominin paleoecology

The Pilauco site is located in north-western Chilean Patagonia, Region de Los Lagos (40°34′12″S, 73°06′12″W). The stratigraphy of the site comprises of two distinct Pleistocene units. The lower unit corresponds to the sequence San Pablo of MIS5e age and consists of clastic and volcanoclastic sediments (PB-1 to PB-5). The upper unit includes the strata PB-6 to PB-9 with age constraints between 17,370 and 4,340 cal. year BP. The strata bearing fossil mammals and archaeological evidence (PB-7 and PB-8; 16,400–12,800 cal. year BP) correspond to layers of sand derived by means of colluvial transport from the nearby hills to the north of the site, in a fine-grained matrix of organic anoxic material and dispersed gravel clasts deposited in a seasonal wetland. The contact between the layers PB-8 and PB-9 is characterized by an erosional unconformity, a drastic increase in charcoal particles coeval with the nearly complete disappearance of pollen and other plant remains. Moreover, layer PB-9 lacks paleontological and archaeological remains. The discordance has been dated on ~12,800 cal. year BP, which coincides with the Younger Dryas Northern Hemisphere climatic oscillation. The local geological characteristics are concordant with regional geomorphological interpretations that have identified several terraces formed during the last glaciation and the Holocene.

Geology, Stratigraphy, and Chronology of the Pilauco Site

Hominin footprints have not traditionally played prominent roles in paleoanthropological studies, aside from the famous 3.66 Ma footprints discovered at Laetoli, Tanzania in the late 1970s. This contrasts with the importance of trace fossils (ichnology) in the broader field of paleontology. Lack of attention to hominin footprints can probably be explained by perceptions that these are exceptionally rare and “curiosities” rather than sources of data that yield insights on par with skeletal fossils or artifacts. In recent years, however, discoveries of hominin footprints have surged in frequency, shining important new light on anatomy, locomotion, behaviors, and environments from a wide variety of times and places. Here, we discuss why these data are often overlooked and consider whether they are as “rare” as previously assumed. We review new ways footprint data are being used to address questions about hominin paleobiology, and we outline key opportunities for future research in hominin ichnology.

Fossil footprints and what they mean for hominin paleobiology

The present study describes the discovery of a singular sedimentary structure corresponding to an ichnite that was excavated at the paleo-archaeological site Pilauco (Osorno, Chile). The trace fossil is associated with megafauna bones, plant material and unifacial lithic tools. Here we present a detailed analysis of the Pilauco ichnite and associated sedimentary structures, as well as new radiocarbon data. The ichnological analysis confidently assigns the trace to the ichnospecies Hominipes modernus-a hominoid footprint usually related to Homo sapiens. Some particular characteristics of the Pilauco trace include an elongated distal hallux, lateral digit impressions obliterated by the collapsed sediment, and sediment lumps inside and around the trace. In order to evaluate the origin of the ichnite, trackmaking experiments are performed on re-hydrated fossil bed sediments. The results demonstrate that a human agent could easily generate a footprint morphology equivalent to the sedimentary structure when walking on a saturated substrate. Based on the evidence, we conclude that the trackmaker might well have been a bare-footed adult human. This finding, along with the presence of lithic artifacts in the same sedimentary levels, might represent further evidence for a pre-Clovis South American colonization of northern Patagonia, as originally proposed for the nearby Monte Verde site.

A late Pleistocene human footprint from the Pilauco archaeological site, northern Patagonia, Chile.

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A late Pleistocene human footprint from the Pilauco archaeological site, northern Patagonia, Chile.