Preliminary Report on Hominid and Other Vertebrate Footprints from the Late Quaternary Strata of Jeju Island, Korea

Abstract

Numerous footprints attributable to hominids, artiodactyla, proboscidea, carnivores, and birds have been preserved in the Late Quarternary strata of Jeju Island, Korea, which is composed of volcaniclastic sediments deposited in a shoreline environment. The hominid footprints are 12–26 cm long and 6–12 cm wide and are characterized by impressions of medial arch, heel, and ball. These are considered to have been made by at least nine humans of different sites. The artiodactyl footprints are up to 8 cm in length and are characterized by impressions of paired hooves. The diverse range of footprint sizes indicate herds of artiodactyls, composed of juvenile, young, and adult. The footprints attributable to proboscideans are characterized by large circular tracks about 40 cm in diameter. The carnivore footprints are generally characterized by impressions of pads and toes. Diverse bird footprints are recognized on the basis of size, length/width ratio, interdigital angles, curvature of digits, and the presence or absence of web and hallux traces. Fish trails, diverse invertebrate trace fossils, and body fossils are also observed. These fossils extended the knowledge of their rarely reported geographic distribution throughout the world and also enable the paleoenvironment and paleoecology of the strata to be interpreted.

Keywords:

• Hominid
• vertebrate
• footprints
• Jeju Island
• Korea

View correction statement:

Erratum

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This study was supported by the research fund from the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation (R05-2002-000-00858-0) and the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea. Authors thanks Dr. Marco Avanzini and Dr. Gordon Roberts for critical reviewing the manuscript and useful suggestions which improved the original manuscript. Martin Lockley also edited the final revised version of the manuscript.