New dating of the Matalascañas footprints provides new evidence of the Middle Pleistocene (MIS 9-8) hominin paleoecology in southern Europe
Abstract Hominin footprints were recently discovered at Matalascañas (Huelva; South of Iberian Peninsula). They were dated thanks to a previous study in deposits of the Asperillo cliff to 106 ± 19 ka, Upper Pleistocene, making Neandertals the most likely track-makers. In this paper, we report new Op...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22524-2 |
| _version_ | 1828140497757011968 |
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| author | Eduardo Mayoral Jérémy Duveau Ana Santos Antonio Rodríguez Ramírez Juan A. Morales Ricardo Díaz-Delgado Jorge Rivera-Silva Asier Gómez-Olivencia Ignacio Díaz-Martínez |
| author_facet | Eduardo Mayoral Jérémy Duveau Ana Santos Antonio Rodríguez Ramírez Juan A. Morales Ricardo Díaz-Delgado Jorge Rivera-Silva Asier Gómez-Olivencia Ignacio Díaz-Martínez |
| author_sort | Eduardo Mayoral |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Hominin footprints were recently discovered at Matalascañas (Huelva; South of Iberian Peninsula). They were dated thanks to a previous study in deposits of the Asperillo cliff to 106 ± 19 ka, Upper Pleistocene, making Neandertals the most likely track-makers. In this paper, we report new Optically Stimulated Luminescence dating that places the hominin footprints surface in the range of 295.8 ± 17 ka (MIS 9-MIS 8 transition, Middle Pleistocene). This new age implies that the possible track-makers are individuals more likely from the Neandertal evolutionary lineage. Regardless of the taxon attributed to the Matalascañas footprints, they supplement the existing partial fossil record for the European Middle Pleistocene Hominins being notably the first palaeoanthropological evidence (hominin skeleton or footprints) from the MIS 9 and MIS 8 transition discovered in the Iberian Peninsula, a moment of climatic evolution from warm to cool. Thus, the Matalascañas footprints represent a crucial record for understanding human occupations in Europe in the Pleistocene. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:10:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-28cdb8b6c3c74084bb9528defba25656 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:10:29Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-28cdb8b6c3c74084bb9528defba256562022-12-22T04:07:37ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-10-0112111510.1038/s41598-022-22524-2New dating of the Matalascañas footprints provides new evidence of the Middle Pleistocene (MIS 9-8) hominin paleoecology in southern EuropeEduardo Mayoral0Jérémy Duveau1Ana Santos2Antonio Rodríguez Ramírez3Juan A. Morales4Ricardo Díaz-Delgado5Jorge Rivera-Silva6Asier Gómez-Olivencia7Ignacio Díaz-Martínez8Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Campus de El Carmen, Universidad de HuelvaDFG Center of Advanced Studies ‘Words, Bones, Genes, Tools’, Eberhard Karls University of TübingenDepartamento de Geología, Facultad de Geología, Campus de Llamaquique, Universidad de OviedoDepartamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Campus de El Carmen, Universidad de HuelvaDepartamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, Facultad de Ciencias Experimentales, Campus de El Carmen, Universidad de HuelvaEstación Biológica de Doñana-CSICCentro de Investigación, Tecnología e Innovación (CITIUS), Universidad de SevillaDept. Geología, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea, UPV/EHUUniversidad Nacional de Río Negro-IIPGAbstract Hominin footprints were recently discovered at Matalascañas (Huelva; South of Iberian Peninsula). They were dated thanks to a previous study in deposits of the Asperillo cliff to 106 ± 19 ka, Upper Pleistocene, making Neandertals the most likely track-makers. In this paper, we report new Optically Stimulated Luminescence dating that places the hominin footprints surface in the range of 295.8 ± 17 ka (MIS 9-MIS 8 transition, Middle Pleistocene). This new age implies that the possible track-makers are individuals more likely from the Neandertal evolutionary lineage. Regardless of the taxon attributed to the Matalascañas footprints, they supplement the existing partial fossil record for the European Middle Pleistocene Hominins being notably the first palaeoanthropological evidence (hominin skeleton or footprints) from the MIS 9 and MIS 8 transition discovered in the Iberian Peninsula, a moment of climatic evolution from warm to cool. Thus, the Matalascañas footprints represent a crucial record for understanding human occupations in Europe in the Pleistocene.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22524-2 |
| spellingShingle | Eduardo Mayoral Jérémy Duveau Ana Santos Antonio Rodríguez Ramírez Juan A. Morales Ricardo Díaz-Delgado Jorge Rivera-Silva Asier Gómez-Olivencia Ignacio Díaz-Martínez New dating of the Matalascañas footprints provides new evidence of the Middle Pleistocene (MIS 9-8) hominin paleoecology in southern Europe Scientific Reports |
| title | New dating of the Matalascañas footprints provides new evidence of the Middle Pleistocene (MIS 9-8) hominin paleoecology in southern Europe |
| title_full | New dating of the Matalascañas footprints provides new evidence of the Middle Pleistocene (MIS 9-8) hominin paleoecology in southern Europe |
| title_fullStr | New dating of the Matalascañas footprints provides new evidence of the Middle Pleistocene (MIS 9-8) hominin paleoecology in southern Europe |
| title_full_unstemmed | New dating of the Matalascañas footprints provides new evidence of the Middle Pleistocene (MIS 9-8) hominin paleoecology in southern Europe |
| title_short | New dating of the Matalascañas footprints provides new evidence of the Middle Pleistocene (MIS 9-8) hominin paleoecology in southern Europe |
| title_sort | new dating of the matalascanas footprints provides new evidence of the middle pleistocene mis 9 8 hominin paleoecology in southern europe |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22524-2 |
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