130000-year-old fossil elephant found near Durban, South-Africa: preliminary-report

A modern African elephant tusk was discovered within a late Pleistocene aeolianite at Reunion Rocks, south of Durban. Ionium dating indicates that the tusk is older than 112 kyr BP with stratigraphic control suggesting a date at ca. 130 kyr BP. Preliminary carbon stable-isotopic analyses indicate th...

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Main Authors Ramsay, PJ, Smith, AM, Lee-Thorp, JC, Vogel, JC, Tyldsley, M, Kidwell, W
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Bureau Scientific Publications 01.04.1993
Subjects
African elephant tusks
Fossil elephants
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Summary:A modern African elephant tusk was discovered within a late Pleistocene aeolianite at Reunion Rocks, south of Durban. Ionium dating indicates that the tusk is older than 112 kyr BP with stratigraphic control suggesting a date at ca. 130 kyr BP. Preliminary carbon stable-isotopic analyses indicate that the elephant was a grass-grazer. Strontium isotopic analyses indicate a marine signature: this implies that the tusk suffered marine diagenesis or that the elephant accumulated a marine strontium isotope signature by living along the coastline.
Bibliography:Ramsay, PJ, et al. 1993. 130000-year-old fossil elephant found near Durban, South-Africa: preliminary-report. South African Journal of Science, vol. 89(4), pp 165
0038-2353