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The Quaternary landscapes, chronostratigraphy, and paleoenvironments of the Chalbi Desert, Kenya

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 November 2025

Gary E. Stinchcomb ,
William E. Lukens ,
Gregory Henkes ,
Mathieu Duval ,
Rainer Grün ,
Shaun Adams ,
Jian-xin Zhao ,
Jean-Philip Brugal ,
Steven L. Forman  and
Katie M. Binetti
...Show all authors
Gary E. Stinchcomb*
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA
William E. Lukens
Affiliation:
Department of Geology & Environmental Science, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA, USA
Gregory Henkes
Affiliation:
Department of Geosciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
Mathieu Duval
Affiliation:
National Research Centre on Human Evolution (CENIEH), Burgos, Spain Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution (ARCHE), Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia Palaeoscience Labs, Department of Archaeology and History, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, Australia
Rainer Grün
Affiliation:
Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT, Australia School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
Shaun Adams
Affiliation:
Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution (ARCHE), Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
Jian-xin Zhao
Affiliation:
Radiogenic Isotope Facility, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
Jean-Philip Brugal
Affiliation:
UMR 7269 LAMPEA, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, Ministère de la culture, Aix-en-Provence, France
Steven L. Forman
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA Department of Geosciences, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
Katie M. Binetti
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
Joseph V. Ferraro
Affiliation:
Institute of Archaeology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA Department of Anthropology, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
*
Corresponding author: Gary E. Stinchcomb; Email: gstnchcm@memphis.edu
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Abstract

The Chalbi Desert, located in eastern Africa, is a significant but overlooked archive of the Pleistocene and Holocene periods that could add insight into investigations on human evolution. We revisited southeastern Chalbi Desert landforms between the towns of Kargi and Maikona to improve the chronostratigraphy and provide paleoenvironmental context. Direct U-series and electron spin resonance dating of various fossil teeth recovered from a deflated dune (Qzs) landform at the Farre locality return a mean age of ∼545 ka, which is compatible with biostratigraphic inferences. While this numerical age result should probably be regarded as mostly indicative given the existing uncertainty on the environmental dose rate evaluation, the data set available nevertheless strongly suggests a Middle Pleistocene age for at least some of the fauna. Sedimentology, luminescence, and 14C dating further suggest that this Qzs landform and its contents were modified by alluvial fan development and weathering during denudation in a proximal fan setting through the late Pleistocene into the Holocene. The Qzs landform currently experiences aeolian additions, erosion, and salt-affected soil development in an arid climate. Pedogenic carbonate isotope geochemistry suggests that deflated sand dunes were covered by woody grasslands during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4 and 3 pluvials, consistent with nearby fan progradation constrained at >35 ka. The desert experienced increased hydrologic activity during late Pleistocene and African humid period pluvials, as evidenced by additional optically stimulated luminescence and 14C dating from fan, dune, and playa contexts. The last significant pluvial episode ended after 4.4 ± 0.3 cal ka BP, which coincides with the final regression of nearby Lake Turkana. This study extends the chronology of Quaternary sediments in the Chalbi Desert to the Middle Pleistocene and offers paleoenvironmental insights into the conditions experienced by Middle Stone Age tool users in the region.

Keywords

Chalbi DesertPleistoceneArchaeologyGeochronologyPaleoenvironment

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Research Article
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Quaternary Research , First View , pp. 1 - 24
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© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Quaternary Research Center.

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