Laetoli: The Oldest Known Hominin Footprints in Volcanic Ash

Abstract

Hominin footprints are rare in eastern Africa and known from the Laetoli (Tanzania), Ileret (Kenya), and Melka Kunture (Ethiopia) areas. The prints were made by Australopithecus afarensis, Homo erectus, and Homo heidelbergensis. Their study is an important source of information regarding hominin body size, anatomy, positional behavior, and locomotion biomechanics. The most-known and best-studied examples are the 3.66-Ma Australopithecus afarensis footprint trackways at Laetoli, which represent the oldest known record of hominin bipedalism in Africa. The footprints occur in a volcanic tuff sequence, which was originally deposited as melilite nephelinite ash. Recent excavations show that this valuable paleoanthropological site is slowly disappearing as a result of surface diagenetic processes. Preservation of the footprints is essential and urgently needed.