Lake-level changes and hominin occupations in the arid Turkana basin during volcanic closure of the Omo River outflows to the Indian Ocean – comment on the published paper by Boës et al. Quaternary Research (2018), Vol. 91.2, 892–909

A critical reassessment of lake-level dynamics and hominin occupations in the arid Turkana Basin reveals that volcanic activity, not climate change alone, primarily drove the closure of the Omo River’s outflow to the Indian Ocean. This challenges prior interpretations by Boës et al. (2018), who attributed such changes to climatic shifts. The study employs sedimentological and stratigraphic analyses to demonstrate how volcanic eruptions altered drainage patterns, creating a more arid environment that influenced hominin adaptations. These findings underscore the complex interplay between geological events and environmental conditions in shaping human evolution in this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Schuster, M., & Nutz, A. (2019). Lake-level changes and hominin occupations in the arid Turkana basin during volcanic closure of the Omo River outflows to the Indian Ocean – comment on the published paper by Boës et al. Quaternary Research (2018), Vol. 91.2, 892–909. Quaternary Research, 92(2), 598–600. https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2019.14