Freshwater conditions in early Paleolake Olduvai from the Naibor Soit Formation

Gebregiorgis D, Murshed N, McHenry LJ, Muchemi F, Duong L, Bash JG, Njau JK, Stanistreet IG, Stollhofen H, Schick KD, Toth N, Ashley GM, Mertzman SA, Elliott WC (2026)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology Elsevier

Book Volume: 699

Article Number: 114033

DOI: 10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.114033

Abstract

The chemistry of illitic clays reveals an influx of fresher water in strata dated to >2 Ma from the deepest part of extinct Paleolake Olduvai in northern Tanzania, from core recovered by the Olduvai Gorge Coring Project (OGCP). Dioctahedral illite exhibits a composition approaching glauconite in these strata, suggesting a source from a greensand facies formed under lower dissolved oxygen (pO₂) conditions, or from localized, stagnant lake waters within a broader, fresher, and oxic system. This interpretation contrasts with the more saline lake conditions inferred from Mg-rich illite in the younger sediments. These findings reveal a distinct geochemical shift from earlier freshwater to later saline lake phases and confirms that Paleolake Olduvai was initially a freshwater system, providing any hominins present at that time with access to freshwater habitats.

Authors with CRIS profile

Harald Stollhofen Lehrstuhl für Geologie (Exogene Dynamik)

Involved external institutions

The University of Liverpool GB United Kingdom (GB) Stone Age Institute US United States (USA) (US) Georgia State University US United States (USA) (US) University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee US United States (USA) (US) Indiana University US United States (USA) (US) Franklin and Marshall College US United States (USA) (US)

How to cite

APA:

Gebregiorgis, D., Murshed, N., McHenry, L.J., Muchemi, F., Duong, L., Bash, J.G.,... Elliott, W.C. (2026). Freshwater conditions in early Paleolake Olduvai from the Naibor Soit Formation. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2026.114033

MLA:

Gebregiorgis, Daniel, et al. "Freshwater conditions in early Paleolake Olduvai from the Naibor Soit Formation." Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 699 (2026).

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