Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

K–Ar age estimate for the KBS Tuff, East Turkana, Kenya

Abstract

Stone tools and numerous vertebrate fossils including hominids, have been found in close stratigraphic proximity to the KBS Tuff, whose age has been the subject of much debate. Concordant K–Ar ages, averaging 1.89 ± 0.01 Myr, are reported on anorthoclase phenocrysts from 13 pumice clasts collected from within the KBS Tuff or its correlatives. We believe that this age is the best estimate currently available for the time of formation of this important marker horizon within the East Turkana Basin.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Coppens, Y., Howell, F. C., Isaac G. Ll. & Leakey, R. E. F. (eds) Earliest Man and Environments in the Lake Rudolf Basin (University of Chicago Press, 1976).

  2. Bishop, W. W. (ed.) Geological Background to Fossil Man (Scottish Academic, Edinburgh, 1978).

  3. Leakey, M. G. & Leakey, R. E. F. (eds) Koobi Fora Research Project Vol 1. (Clarendon, Oxford, 1978).

  4. Behrensmeyer, A. K. Nature 226, 225–226 (1970).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Vondra, C. F., Johnson, G. D., Bowen, B. E. & Behrensmeyer, A. K. Nature 231, 245–248 (1971).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Bowen, B. E. & Vondra, C. F. Nature 242, 391–393 (1973).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  7. Leakey, R. E. F. Nature 226, 223–224 (1970).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Leakey, M. D. Nature 226, 228–230 (1970).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Fitch, F. J. & Miller, J. A. Nature 226, 226–228 (1970).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Fitch, F. J. & Miller, J. A. in Earliest Man and Environments in the Lake Rudolf Basin (eds Coppens, Y., Howell, F. C., Isaac, G.Ll & Leakey, R. E. F.) 123–147 (University of Chicago Press, 1976).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Curtis, G. H., Drake, R., Ceding, T. & Hampel, J. Nature 258, 395–398 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Fitch, F. J., Hooker, P. J. & Miller, J. A. Nature 263, 740–744 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Hurford, A. J., Gleadow, A. J. W. & Naeser, C. W. Nature 263, 738–740 (1976).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Drake, R. E., Curtis, G. H., Cerling, T. E., Cerling, B. W. & Hampel, J. Nature 283, 368–372 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Findlater, I. C. in Koobi Fora Research Project Vol. 1 (eds Leakey, M. G. & Leakey, R. E. F.) 14–31 (Clarendon, Oxford, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Vondra, C. F. & Bowen, B. E. in Geological Background to Fossil Man (ed. Bishop, W. W.) 395–414 (Scottish Academic, Edinburgh, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Findlater, I. C. in Earliest Man and Environments in the Lake Rudolf Basin (eds Coppens, Y. et al.) 94–104 (University of Chicago Press, 1976).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Findlater, I. C. in Geological Background to Fossil Man (ed. Bishop, W. W.) 415–420 (Scottish Academic, Edinburgh, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Cooper, J. A. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 27, 525–546 (1963).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Webb, A. W. & McDougall, I. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 3, 41–47 (1967).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. McDougall, I., Polach, H. A. & Stipp, J. J. Geochim. cosmochim. Acta 33, 1485–1520 (1969).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. McDougall, I. & Schmincke, H.-U. Bull. Volcanol. 40, 57–77 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Steiger, R. H. & Jäger, E. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 36, 359–362 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Wright, T. L. Am. Miner. 53, 38–87 (1968).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Wright, T. L. & Stewart, D. B. Am. Miner. 53, 88–104 (1968).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Cahen, L. & Snelling, N. J. The Geochronology of Equatorial Africa (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1966).

    Google Scholar 

  27. Gleadow, A. J. W. Nature 284, 225–230 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. York, D. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 5, 320–324 (1969).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Cerling, T. E., Brown, F. H., Cerling, B. W., Curtis, G. H. & Drake, R. E. Nature 279, 118–121 (1979).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  30. Haq, B. U., Berggren, W. A. & Van Couvering, J. A. Nature 269, 483–488 (1977).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  31. Behrensmeyer, A. K. in Geological Background to Fossil Man (ed. Bishop, W. W.) 421–440 (Scottish Academic, Edinburgh, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  32. Brown, F. H., Howell, F. C. & Eck, G. G. in Geological Background to Fossil Man (ed. Bishop, W. W.) 473–498 (Scottish Academic, Edinburgh, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  33. Brock, A. & Isaac, G. Ll. Nature 247, 344–348 (1974).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  34. Hillhouse, J. W., Ndombi, J. W. M., Cox, A. & Brock, A. Nature 265, 411–415 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Brock, A. in Geological Background to Fossil Man (ed. Bishop, W. W.) 471 (Scottish Academic, Edinburgh, 1978).

    Google Scholar 

  36. McDougall, I. in The Earth: Its Origin, Structure and Evolution (ed. McElhinny, M. W.) 534–566 (Academic, London, 1979).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

McDougall, I., Maier, R., Sutherland-Hawkes, P. et al. K–Ar age estimate for the KBS Tuff, East Turkana, Kenya. Nature 284, 230–234 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/284230a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/284230a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing