This project will conduct paleontological and geological surveys of western Ethiopia in order to prospect for deposits that contain the remains of fossil primates, mammals, lower vertebrates, and plants that are of critical importance for reconstructing the history of primate and human evolution in Africa. Ethiopia is well known for its rich fossil record that documents the early history of hominid evolution, but all of this fossil evidence is restricted to the Ethiopian Rift Valley in the east-central to southern portion of the country. Here we will focus efforts in western Ethiopia, an area that has never before been examined for fossil bearing deposits. Sediments and volcanic rocks dating from about one to over 40 million years in age are known to occur in this region, and it is likely that these sediments contain fossils. This is a critical period of time for primate and human evolution. Likely areas for focusing the field efforts will be determined by remote sensing using thematic mapping with satellite imagery. Field work will concentrate on these areas for prospecting and recovering fossils, and detailing the geological history of the region.
