Pleistocene Geology, Palaeontology and Archaeology of the Soa Basin, Central Flores, Indonesia.
Aziz F, Morwood MJ, van den Bergh GD (eds.) 2009. Pleistocene Geology, Palaeontology and Archaeology of the Soa Basin, Central Flores, Indonesia. Publication of the Centre for Geological Survey, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Republic of Indonesia. 146 pp. Special Publication No. 36. ISSN 0582-873X
Contributors:
F Aziz, G van den Bergh, A Brumm, J Collins, DR Hobbs, Jatmiko, I Kurniawan, CJ Lentfer, MW Moore, MJ Morwood, Nasruddin, R Setiawan, Suminto, Suyono
Description:
From 1998 to 2001, the Soa Basin, Flores, Indonesia was extensively surveyed and studied by a joint Indonesian-Australian team, resulting in numerous publications including the announcement of archaeological evidence for the presence of early hominins in the Middle Pleistocene. This edited volume adds to that body of work. It begins with an introduction to the Soa Basin, including a general history of the discovery and previous research in the area. Following this is an overview of the geology and fossil sites of the region, complemented by an inserted geological map of the entire basin at the back. This is followed by accounts of excavations at Tangi Talo, Mata Menge, Kobatuwa, and Boa Lesa. The volume concludes with a summary chapter, where Morwood and Aziz discuss the following: The 16 terrestrial faunal sites currently known in the Soa Basin are between 900,000 and 700,000 years old. In the earliest deposits and prior to any evidence for hominin activity, the region is characterised by the presence of pygmy Stegadon, giant tortoise, and Komodo dragon. A faunal turnover post-880kya is represented by large-bodied Stegadon, Komodo dragon, crocodile, rat and bird. This turnover corresponds closely with both a major volcanic eruption and the appearance of stone tools between 900kya and 880kya, though whether it was hominin-influenced can not as yet be determined.
