Seraitu, Mille-Logya (Pliocene to of Ethiopia)

Where: Afar, Ethiopia (11.6° N, 40.8° E: paleocoordinates 11.4° N, 40.6° E)

• coordinate estimated from map

• small collection-level geographic resolution

When: Piacenzian to Piacenzian (3.6 - 1.8 Ma)

• Besides the Hinti Mageta Tuff at the base of the Seraitu lake beds, two tuffs within the lake sediments provide precise ages: MLP14/SR-6 at 2.576 ± 0.008 Ma and MLP14/GOY-2 at 2.485 ± 0.018Ma. In addition to the chronological information from these markers, two sections within the Seraitu lake beds zone record a magnetostratigraphic reversal which we interpret to be the Gauss/Matuyama, dated to 2.59 Ma (Fig. 1; section JGW14-10 and in section JGW14-6; see Supplementary Figs. 6–8, Supple- mentary Table 5).

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: lacustrine; unlithified claystone and mudstone

• The middle stratigraphic unit is represented by the Seraitu lake beds, which often form bare, steep cliffs of largely mudstone outcrops representing lacustrine deposition.
• The sediments of the Seraitu lake beds are predominantly laminated clays which often contain abundant ostracods, gastropods and some bivalves, as well as plant fragments and fish remains.

Size class: macrofossils

Collection methods: Research at Mille-Logya started in 2012 and our team conducted systematic geological and paleontological surveys in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019.

Primary reference: Z. Alemseged, J. G. Wynn, D. Geraads, D. Reed, W. A. Barr, R. Bobe, S. P. McPherron, A. Deino, M. Alene, M. J. Sier, D. Roman and J. Mohan. 2020. Fossils from Mille-Logya, Afar, Ethiopia, elucidate the link between Pliocene environmental changes and Homo origins. Nature Communications 11(2480) [P. Mannion/G. Varnham]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 224657: authorized by Philip Mannion, entered by Grace Varnham on 25.03.2022

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Actinopteri
 Teleostei -
Mammalia
 Tubulidentata - Orycteropodidae
Orycteropus sp. Geoffroy 1791 aardvark
 Proboscidea - Elephantidae
"Elephas recki" = Palaeoloxodon recki
"Elephas recki" = Palaeoloxodon recki Dietrich 1915 elephant
 Proboscidea - Deinotheriidae
Deinotherium bozasi Arambourg 1934 deinothere
 Primates - Cercopithecidae
Cercopithecidae indet. Gray 1821 monkey
Theropithecus sp. Geoffroy 1843 gelada
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Hipparionini sp. Quinn 1955 hipparionine horse
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
Diceros sp. Gray 1821 black rhino
Ceratotherium sp. Gray 1868 white rhino
 Tribosphenida - Sivatheridae
"Sivatherium maurusium" = Libytherium maurusium
"Sivatherium maurusium" = Libytherium maurusium Pomel 1893 placental
 Artiodactyla - Hippopotamidae
aff. Hippopotamus protamphibius Arambourg 1944 hippo
 Artiodactyla - Giraffidae
Giraffa sp. Brisson 1762 giraffe
Giraffa jumae/stillei
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Kobus sigmoidalis Arambourg 1941 antelope
Kobus cf. oricornus Gentry 1985 antelope
Aepyceros sp. Sundevall 1847 impala
Alcelaphini indet. Brookes 1876 antelope
Damalborea sp. Gentry 2010 antelope
? Tragelaphus aff. lockwoodi Reed and Bibi 2010 antelope
Tragelaphus nakuae Arambourg 1941 antelope
Bovini indet. Gray 1821 antelope
Pelorovis cf. kaisensis Geraads and Thomasson 1994 antelope
 Artiodactyla - Suidae
"Notochoerus euilus" = Hylochoerus euilus Hopwood 1926 giant forest hog
Kolpochoerus sp. van Hoepen and van Hoepen 1932 pig
? n. sp.
Kolpochoerus limnetes Hopwood 1926 pig
 Artiodactyla - Camelidae
Camelus grattardi Geraads 2014 camel
 Carnivora - Hyaenidae
? Crocuta eturono spotted hyaena
 Carnivora - Felidae
Felidae indet. Gray 1821 cat
cf. Dinofelis sp. Zdansky 1924 cat
Reptilia
 Crocodylia - Crocodylidae
Crocodylus sp. Laurenti 1768 crocodile
Euthecodon sp. Fortau 1920 crocodile
 Testudines -
"Chelonia indet." = Testudines
"Chelonia indet." = Testudines Batsch 1788 turtle