Lothagam-Nawata Formation (Miocene to of Kenya)

Also known as ETE Locality 1066, Lothagam 1B, Lothagam 1A, Lothagam 1, Lothagam, Lothagam-Nawata fm indet.

Where: Kenya (2.9° N, 36.1° E: paleocoordinates 2.5° N, 35.2° E)

• coordinate stated in text

• local area-level geographic resolution

When: Upper Nawata & Lower Nawata Member (Nawata Formation), Tortonian to Tortonian (11.6 - 5.3 Ma)

• K-Ar dating for bottom of the Nawata Formation is 7.44 +/- 0.05 Ma or somewhat older. Top of Nawata formation (Purple Marker) is poorly dated, but is older than 4.2 Ma and is probably close to 5.0 Ma.

• formation-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: fluvial; poorly lithified, volcaniclastic, conglomeratic sandstone and poorly lithified, volcaniclastic, conglomeratic mudstone

• Nawata formation sediments reflect fluvial deposition with evidence of channel characteristics along with variations on floodplain sedimentation such as shallow ponds. Fluvial system is large and perennial, withoout any lake development.
• The Nawata Formation is a heterogeneous mix of sedimentary rocks, made u mostly of upward-fining sandstone to mudstone intervals, multistoried sandstones, conglomerates, and altered distal tephra. Many of the lithologies have been heavily altered by diagenesis. Has been informally subdivided into two members - the Upper and Lower Nawta using the Marker Tuff as a boundary.

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Collection methods: bulk, surface (in situ), mechanical, sieve,

• Held at the Kenya National Museums in Nairobi under the designation KNM-LT-. Most of these specimens were collected by early expeditions to Lothagam led by. B. Patterson.

Primary reference: M. G. Leakey and J. M. Harris. 2003. Lothagam: the dawn of humanity in eastern Africa. Lothagam: the dawn of humanity in eastern Africa 678 [A. Behrensmeyer/R. Bobe/R. Bobe]more details

Purpose of describing collection: paleoecologic analysis

PaleoDB collection 22243: authorized by Anna Behrensmeyer, entered by Anna Behrensmeyer on 30.06.1999

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

• This list contains only specimens collected from the Nawata formation that could not be definitively assigned to the Upper or Lower Member of the Formation. All other specimens are listed in collections 22241 and 22242 under the Upper and Lower Members.
Show authors, comments, and common names
unclassified
  -
, , , , ,

ETE occurrence; species: mak - replaced genus name sp. with family name

ETE occurrence; species: Giraffine

ETE occurrence; species: small

ETE occurrence; species: large

ETE number of identifiable specimens; species: Hominoidea
Aves
 Struthioniformes - Struthionidae
cf. Struthio sp.
cf. Struthio sp. Linnaeus 1758 ostrich
Reptilia
 Testudines - Trionychidae
Cycloderma frenatum
Cycloderma frenatum Peters 1854 softshell turtle
Mammalia
 Artiodactyla - Hippopotamidae
Hexaprotodon sp., "Hexaprotodon harvardi" = Archaeopotamus harvardi
Hexaprotodon sp. Falconer and Cautley 1836 pygmy hippo
"Hexaprotodon harvardi" = Archaeopotamus harvardi Coryndon 1977 hippopotamus
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Tragelaphus kyaloae
Tragelaphus kyaloae Harris 1991 antelope
 Carnivora - Felidae
Lokotunjailurus emageritus n. gen.
Lokotunjailurus emageritus n. gen. Werdelin 2003 cat
 Primates - Cercopithecidae
Parapapio lothagamensis n. sp.
Parapapio lothagamensis n. sp. Leakey et al. 2003 monkey