What fossil was recently found in the Afar region of northern Ethiopia?
What fossil was recently found in the Afar region of northern Ethiopia?
Ardipithecus ramidus, or ‘Ardi,’ lived in what is now Ethiopia. Researchers have discovered a “remarkably complete” cranium of a human ancestor dating back 3.8 million years.
What is causing the fracture in the Afar Depression?
More than 200 million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the planet, Earth’s continents were joined together in a single enormous landmass called Pangaea. Over time, deep rifts opened within that mighty supercontinent, causing it to fracture and ultimately spawn seven new continents — a number that may be growing.
How does Afar Triangle formed?
The Afar Depression is the product of a tectonic triple-rifts junction (the Afar Triple Junction), where the spreading ridges forming the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden emerge on land and meet the East African Rift. The conjunction of these three plates of Earth’s crust is near Lake Abbe.
What is the Afar Triangle in Ethiopia?
The Afar Triangle (or Afar Depression) is a low area bordering on the Red Sea. It is part of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa. The area overlaps the borders of Eritrea, Djibouti and the entire Afar region of Ethiopia.
Who found Lucy?
Donald Johanson
The team that excavated her remains, led by American paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson and French geologist Maurice Taieb, nicknamed the skeleton “Lucy” after the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” which was played at the celebration the day she was found.
Who lives in the Danakil Depression?
One of the hottest places on earth (by average daily temperature) as well as one of the lowest (over 400 feet below sea level), the Danakil Depression entices three main types of people to the area: salt miners, scientists and travelers.
Is Africa splitting apart?
The African continent is slowly separating into several large and small tectonic blocks along the diverging East African Rift System, continuing to Madagascar — the long island just off the coast of Southeast Africa — that itself will also break apart into smaller islands.
Where is Afar Triangle?
Ethiopia
AFAR TRIANGLE (color) is in northeastern Ethiopia where the Red Sea rift, the Carls – berg Ridge of the Indian Ocean and the Rift Valley system of East Africa meet. Its north ern section was once submerged, and part is still below sea level (see map on pages 34-35).
What is the oldest skeleton found?
The Lucy specimen is an early australopithecine and is dated to about 3.2 million years ago….Lucy (Australopithecus)
| Catalog no. | AL 288-1 |
|---|---|
| Age | 3.2 million years |
| Place discovered | Afar Depression, Ethiopia |
| Date discovered | November 24, 1974 |
| Discovered by | Donald Johanson Maurice Taieb Yves Coppens Tom Gray |
Where are the fossils found in the Afar Triangle?
Many important fossil localities exist in the Afar region, including the Middle Awash region and the sites of Hadar, Dikika, and Woranso-Mille. These sites have produced specimens of the earliest (fossil) hominins and of human tool culture, as well as many fossils of various flora and fauna.
What kind of environment is the Afar Depression?
Some 1,200 km 2 (460 sq mi) of the Afar Depression is covered by salt deposits, and mining salt is a major source of income for many Afar groups. The Afar Depression biome is characterized as desert scrubland.
Where does the Afar Depression meet the East African Rift?
The Afar Depression is the product of a tectonic triple-rifts junction (the Afar Triple Junction), where the spreading ridges forming the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden emerge on land and meet the East African Rift. The conjunction of these three plates of Earth’s crust is near Lake Abbe.
How old are the fossils of Ardipithecus ramidus?
Ardipithecus, on the other hand, was discovered by White and his team in 1992, based on fossils from Aramis, a village in the Awash Valley of Ethiopia’s Afar rift. White and his team named the 4.4 million-year-old fossils Ardipithecus ramidus.