African-Levantine Areal of Ancient Hominin Dispersal: A New Look Derived from Comprehensive Geological-Geophysical Integration

The origin of Man and the Earth is traditionally associated with landscape and climatological changes. We suggest that along with the above factors, regional tectonic-geodynamic factors played a dominant role in the character of dispersal. The African-Levantine-Caucasian region is one of the most geologically complex regions of the world, where collisional and spreading geodynamics processes converge. For the first time, it is determined an essential influence of the Akchagylian hydrospheric maximum (about 200 m above the mean sea level) limited the early dispersal of hominins from Africa to Eurasia. We propose that the Levantine Corridor emerged after the end of the Akchagylian transgression and landscape forming in the Eastern Mediterranean. The movements between the Dead Sea Transform and the boundary of the Mesozoic Terrane Belt carbonate platform formed this corridor location. Further landscape evolution was largely determined by the geodynamic behavior of the deep mantle rotating structure occurring below the central part of the region under study. All the mentioned events around and in the Levantine Corridor have been studied in detail based on the combined geodynamic, paleogeographic, and paleomagnetic analyses performed in northern Israel (Carmel uplift and Galilee plateau). Careful studies of the Evron quarry geological section indicate that it is unique for dating the marine and continental archaeological sequences and sheds light on the early dispersal of hominins along the Levantine Corridor. For a thorough analysis of the well-studied anthropological site of 'Ubeidiya (located some km SW of the Sea of Galilee), we used the following principal methodologies: paleogeographic research combined with examination of hydrospheric disturbances, analysis of cyclic stratigraphy, generalization of detailed paleomagnetic stratigraphy, biostratigraphic correlation, lithological-facies analysis, event stratigraphy, and structural-tectonic studies. Methods of comparative analysis of several anthropological sites surrounding the site of 'Ubeidiya were also employed. Comprehensive paleomagnetic mapping and profiling have been applied to a few areas in the northern part of the Levantine corridor. It can reveal some essential tectonic-structural peculiarities of the sites disposed of this strip. Paleogeographic and tectonic-geodynamic data analyses indicate that the Calabrian age of the ‘Ubeidiya site is discussable. The constructed palinspastic reconstruction map (3.6–2.0 Ma) unmasked important tectonic-magmatic features of the area under study. Based on the combined multifactor analysis, we propose that the age of this site can be significantly increased. The new suggested age (Lower Matuyama - Gelasian) may require a revision of the entire global process of dispersal of primitive man from Africa to the north.