Masol (paleontology) explained

Masol is a paleontological-archaeological site in the Shivalik Frontal Range of the sub-Himalayan foothills of northwestern India, in the state of Punjab, a few kilometers north of Chandigarh. It dates from the end of the Pliocene. The fossiliferous formation called "Quranwala zone"(upper limit around 2.7 million years, lower limit 2.95 million years ago)^[1] provides stone tools (choppers, flakes), some in situ with cut marks and percussion marks on fossil bones in the lower layers.^{[2] [3] [4]} It represents the oldest paleontological record of hominin activities located outside of Africa.^[5]

The majority of the site is composed of sandstone, sand, and silt, which, through time, has eroded due to wind and water action.^[6] Such geological action has contributed significantly to the natural excavation of the area.

Notes and References

1. Chapon Sao . Cécile . Tudryn . Alina . Dambricourt Malassé . Anne . Moigne . Anne-Marie . Gargani . Julien . Singh . Mukesh . Abdessadok . Salah . Voinchet . Pierre . Cauche . Dominique . Karir . Baldev . Pal . Surinder . Magnetostratigraphy of the Pliocene Masol Formation, Siwalik Frontal Range, India: Implications for the age of intentional cut-marked fossil bones . Journal of Asian Earth Sciences . January 2024 . 259 . 105884 . 10.1016/j.jseaes.2023.105884 . 2024JAESc.25905884C .
2. Web site: Pre-Quaternary hominin settlements in Asia: Archaeology, bio-lithostratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy evidences at Masol, Siwaliks, Northwestern India .
3. Malassé . Anne Dambricourt . Cauche . Dominique . Des traces de boucherie aux outils lithiques de Masol (Pliocène supérieur, Inde du Nord). Une approche psychomotrice de l'origine et de l'identité des hominiens . L'Anthropologie . September 2022 . 126 . 4 . 103070 . 10.1016/j.anthro.2022.103070 .
4. Dambricourt Malassé . Anne . Moigne . Anne-Marie . Singh . Mukesh . Calligaro . Thomas . Karir . Baldev . Gaillard . Claire . Kaur . Amandeep . Bhardwaj . Vipnesh . Pal . Surinder . Abdessadok . Salah . Chapon Sao . Cécile . Gargani . Julien . Tudryn . Alina . Garcia Sanz . Miguel . Intentional cut marks on bovid from the Quranwala zone, 2.6 Ma, Siwalik Frontal Range, northwestern India . Comptes Rendus Palevol . February 2016 . 15 . 3–4 . 317–339 . 10.1016/j.crpv.2015.09.019 . 2016CRPal..15..317D . free .
5. Book: Sanz . Nuria . Human origin sites and the World Heritage Convention in Asia . November 2014 . UNESCO . 978-92-3-100043-0 . Coppens . Yves . The Outstanding Universal Value of Human Evolution in Asia . 9–14 .
6. Gargani . Julien . Abdessadok . Salah . Tudryn . Alina . Chapon Sao . Cécile . Dambricourt Malassé . Anne . Gaillard . Claire . Moigne . Anne-Marie . Singh . Mukesh . Bhardwaj . Vipnesh . Karir . Baldev . Geology and geomorphology of Masol paleonto-archeological site, Late Pliocene, Chandigarh, Siwalik Frontal Range, NW India . Comptes Rendus Palevol . February 2016 . 15 . 3–4 . 379–391 . 10.1016/j.crpv.2015.06.001 . free . 2016CRPal..15..379G .