Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
Tectonic geomorphology and soil edaphics as controls on animal migrations and early human settlement and dispersal. / Simon, Kübler,; King, Geoffrey; Devès, Maud; Inglis, Robyn Helen; Bailey, Geoff.
Geological Setting, Palaeoenvironment and Archaeology of the Red Sea. ed. / Najeeb Rasul; Ian Stewart. Cham,, Switzerland : Springer, 2019. p. 653-673.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
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TY - CHAP
T1 - Tectonic geomorphology and soil edaphics as controls on animal migrations and early human settlement and dispersal
AU - Simon, Kübler,
AU - King, Geoffrey
AU - Devès, Maud
AU - Inglis, Robyn Helen
AU - Bailey, Geoff
PY - 2019/1/6
Y1 - 2019/1/6
N2 - This chapter examines the relationship between the changing geomorphology of physical land forms in tectonically and volcanically active regions, topography, soil nutrients, movements of large mammals, and patterns of human subsistence and dispersal in the early stages of human evolution. We place particular emphasis on the ways in which minor topographic barriers – e.g., river gorges, fault scarps and basaltic lava flows – constrain the movements of large mammals during their seasonal migrations and offer opportunities for early human populations to ambush animals, taking advantage of predictable natural constrictions. We also emphasise the importance of soil edaphics – the mineral composition of soils as a source of trace elements essential for animal growth and health – as another key variable in determining the distribution and movements of animals and their human hunters. Soil edaphics are closely related to the nature of the underlying regolith or bedrock, and are consequently highly variable in their distribution, providing additional constraints on animal movements. We show how the combination of topographic and soil-edaphic mapping in conjunction with the observed locations of stone-tool or fossil assemblages can highlight patterns of early human behaviour, using examples from the East African and Jordanian Rifts and the Arabian margin of the Red Sea. Finally, we note that these methods have potential to be applied more widely in other regions of the world and to problems of animal and human health at the present-day
AB - This chapter examines the relationship between the changing geomorphology of physical land forms in tectonically and volcanically active regions, topography, soil nutrients, movements of large mammals, and patterns of human subsistence and dispersal in the early stages of human evolution. We place particular emphasis on the ways in which minor topographic barriers – e.g., river gorges, fault scarps and basaltic lava flows – constrain the movements of large mammals during their seasonal migrations and offer opportunities for early human populations to ambush animals, taking advantage of predictable natural constrictions. We also emphasise the importance of soil edaphics – the mineral composition of soils as a source of trace elements essential for animal growth and health – as another key variable in determining the distribution and movements of animals and their human hunters. Soil edaphics are closely related to the nature of the underlying regolith or bedrock, and are consequently highly variable in their distribution, providing additional constraints on animal movements. We show how the combination of topographic and soil-edaphic mapping in conjunction with the observed locations of stone-tool or fossil assemblages can highlight patterns of early human behaviour, using examples from the East African and Jordanian Rifts and the Arabian margin of the Red Sea. Finally, we note that these methods have potential to be applied more widely in other regions of the world and to problems of animal and human health at the present-day
U2 - 10.1007/978-3-319-99408-6_29
DO - 10.1007/978-3-319-99408-6_29
M3 - Chapter
SN - 9783319994079
SP - 653
EP - 673
BT - Geological Setting, Palaeoenvironment and Archaeology of the Red Sea
A2 - Rasul, Najeeb
A2 - Stewart, Ian
PB - Springer
CY - Cham,, Switzerland
T2 - Saudi Geological Survey Red Sea Workshop
Y2 - 14 February 2016 through 17 February 2016
ER -