Examining Fluvial Stratigraphic Architecture Using Ground‐Penetrating Radar at the Fanta Stream Fossil and Archaeological Site, Central Ethiopia

Abstract

The Fanta Stream site is an archaeological and paleontological locality in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The site contains a rich assemblage of fossil mammals and Acheulean artifacts of approximately 600 ka located in a rare high-altitude context. A ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey was conducted in order to provide three-dimensional imaging of the subsurface, which the authors use to interpret the geometry and distribution of fossil-containing stratigraphic units. Utilizing the stream's natural cut bank exposure, we calibrate GPR data to known geologic units through radar facies analysis. Shallow, high-amplitude coherent reflection geometries are attributed to volcanic tuff deposits, as these units exhibit subparallel continuous reflections consistent with planar stratified sedimentary deposition. Deeper, discontinuous reflection packages are interpreted as conglomeritic, fossil-containing deposits. The results of the GPR survey outline the location of the Fanta Stream's paleodepositional features as well as suggest the extent of fossiliferous stratigraphic units for use in future excavations.Scientific Research Society Geological Society of America Graduate Student Travel Grant Miriam Watts-Wheeler Scholarshi

Ground‐penetrating radar analysis of the Drimolen early Pleistocene fossil‐bearing palaeocave, South Africa

“…This may prove to be a key advancement for enabling more targeted excavations in the region. Several GPR projects using higher frequency antennas have been successful in detecting fossils within a matrix (see Lanzarone et al, 2016;Main & Hammon, 2003;Tinelli et al, 2012).…”

“…This may prove to be a key advancement for enabling more targeted excavations in the region. Several GPR projects using higher frequency antennas have been successful in detecting fossils within a matrix (see Lanzarone et al, 2016; Main & Hammon, 2003; Tinelli et al, 2012). More recent experimental work on attempting to characterise radar responses to bone in a range of sediments have had some success in lab‐based scenarios (Schneider, 2017), but this has proven difficult to convert into real‐world applications given the type of deposits such as the DMK.…”

“…When appropriate and available, GPR has become a commonly used technique on archaeological sites (for various case studies see Conyers, 2013Conyers, , 2016Goodman & Piro, 2013). Its use in palaeontological studies is less common, but some research projects have been conducted on a variety of fossil-bearing sites (see Lanzarone et al, 2016;Leucci, 2013;Main & Hammon, 2003;Tinelli et al, 2012). Besides this research, GPR surveys on South African archaeological and fossil sites are rare; there are currently only three other comparable examples (see Miller et al, 2016;Naidoo, 2016;Papadimitrios et al 2019).…”

The Pleistocene high-elevation environments between 2.02 and 0.6 Ma at Melka Kunture (Upper Awash Valley, Ethiopia) based upon stable isotope analysis

“…(e.g., Olduvai Gorge, Lake Turkana Basin, Busidima Formation) 12 – 19 , whereas few archaeological sites are known at higher elevations (≥ 2000 m a.s.l. ), such as Melka Kunture (hereafter MK) 20 – 24 , Melka Wakena 25 – 28 , Gadeb 29 , Fanta 30 , and Mount Dendi 31 in Ethiopia; and Kilombe 32 in Kenya. Among the Ethiopian sites at high elevations, MK yields a long geo-archaeological sequence spanning from 2.02 Ma to the Holocene 22 , 33 – 37 , where the archaeological layers that recorded fauna and hominin remains, pollen, phytoliths, and ichnological evidence are coupled with accurate stratigraphic positioning.…”

Processing considerations and improved interpretation for ground‐penetrating radar imaging of a relict archaeological excavation unit

“…In lieu of typical excavation methods that are time-consuming and destructive to cultural features, geophysical methods have now become a popular tool in the archaeologist's toolbox, as these methods can provide rapid, non-invasive, high-resolution imaging that offers a number of advantages and may guide future excavations to reduce labour input and site destruction (e.g. Lanzarone et al 2016). Of all of the shallow geophysical tools, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is one of the highest-resolution techniques currently available to archaeologists and as a result, GPR has gained wide acceptance in the archaeological community in recent years (Conyers 2004).…”