Magnetostratigraphy of volcanic and sedimentary succession of the Zarqa river, Jordan

• Grant number: 16/04809-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2016
• End date: April 30, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geology
• Principal Investigator: Giancarlo Scardia
• Grantee: Giovana Oliveira Pimentel
• Host Institution: Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas (IGCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Due to its location in the Middle East, Jordan lies on a migration route used by hominins in its expansion from Africa to Eurasia since the start of Pleistocene and by the antiqueness of the archaeological evidences found, Zarqa River region recently became the most important place to investigate when and how the first migration of genus Homo to out of their homeland happened and elucidate the stages of lithic artifacts industries evolution associated with the successive migrations that occurred during the Pleistocene. The Zarqa River valley has an infilling composed by fluvial deposits interbedded with Plio-Pleistocene basaltic flows. The volcanic-sedimentary succession is organized into three major river terraces, the highest of them contains traces of ancient hominins and Inferior Pleistocene mammal fossils. The objective of this project is dating the volcanic-sedimentary sequence of Zarqa River Valley using magnetostratigraphy to provide chronological links to archaeological sites found there and are the study focus of the Brazilian mission proceeding in this region.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SCARDIA, GIANCARLO; PARENTI, FABIO; MIGGINS, DANIEL P.; GERDES, AXEL; ARAUJO, ASTOLFO G. M.; NEVES, WALTER A.. Chronologic constraints on hominin dispersal outside Africa since 2.48 Ma from the Zarqa Valley, Jordan. QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS, v. 219, p. 1-19, SEP 1 2019. (13/22631-2, 16/04809-7)

SCARDIA, GIANCARLO; NEVES, WALTER A.; TATTERSALL, IAN; BLUMRICH, LUKAS. What kind of hominin first left Africa?. EVOLUTIONARY ANTHROPOLOGY, v. 30, n. 2, p. 122-127, MAR 2021. (13/22631-2, 16/04809-7)