Approche paléopédologique de l’environnement des hominidés fossiles du dôme de Sangiran (Java central, Indonésie)

A detailed paleopedological study of the Sangiran Early Man Site in central Java, Indonesia, reveals that the region's thick fossiliferous volcano-sedimentary series experienced a transition from marine and coastal to terrestrial environments during the Quaternary period. The study identified six orders of paleosols (histosol, gleysol, vertisol, argillisol, protosol, oxisol) with 19 distinct pedotypes across seven localities within the Sangiran dome. Notably, the first fully terrestrial levels were found at the base of the upper Pucangan unit, indicating a shift from vast coastal swamps to an open landscape. The study also highlights recurrent aridity proxies in the Grenzbank and Kabuh series, which correspond with periods of abundant hominid fossils, suggesting a seasonal climate with a long dry season and open vegetation. This research provides crucial insights into the paleogeography and climatic conditions that prevailed during the Lower and early Middle Pleistocene, influenced by the south-eastern Asia monsoon cycles.

(Ed.). (2011). Approche paléopédologique de l’environnement des hominidés fossiles du dôme de Sangiran (Java central, Indonésie). Quaternaire, vol. 22/1, 3–11. https://doi.org/10.4000/quaternaire.5815