Edaphic and Topographic Constraints on Exploitation of the Central Kenya Rift by Large Mammals and Early Hominins

Soil samples were analysed using standard protocols provided by KALRO (Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation). For thin soils, we generally sampled the uppermost horizon (<25cm). Soil and plant tissue analysis was carried out at the KALRO laboratories. During field seasons in 2013 and 2014 a total of 163 soil samples and 160 plant tissue samples in the Kenya Rift from Lake Magadi in the south to Lake Baringo in the north. All samples were tested for concentration of the following trace elements and nutrients: calcium (Ca), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), magnesium (Mg), nitrogen (N), potassium (K), sodium (Na), phosphorus (P), and zinc (Zn). Further, soil samples were tested for pH-value, electrical conductivity, and total organic carbon (Table S1). Water samples from springs and boreholes around Lake Elmenteita to test for fluoride are also shown. The location of sample sites are tabulated (Table S2). The consequences of excess or deficiency of certain elements are shown in Table S3. (2016-5-17)

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