A late Pleistocene human footprint from the Pilauco archaeological site, Northern Patagonia, Chile

The present study describes the discovery of a singular sedimentary structure corresponding to an ichnite that was excavated at the paleo-archaeological site Pilauco (Osorno, Chile). The trace fossil is associated with megafauna bones, plant material and unifacial lithic tools. Here we present a detailed analysis of the Pilauco ichnite and associated sedimentary structures, as well as new radiocarbon data. The ichnological analysis confidently assigns the trace to the ichnospecies Hominipes modernus—a hominoid footprint usually related to Homo sapiens. Some particular characteristics of the Pilauco trace include an elongated distal hallux, lateral digit impressions obliterated by the collapsed sediment, and sediment lumps inside and around the trace. In order to evaluate the origin of the ichnite, trackmaking experiments are performed on re-hydrated fossil bed sediments. The results demonstrate that a human agent could easily generate a footprint morphology equivalent to the sedimentary...

本研究报道了出土于智利奥索尔诺（Osorno）皮劳科（Pilauco）古考古遗址的一处独特沉积构造——足迹化石（ichnite）的发现情况。该遗迹化石（trace fossil）与巨型动物骨骼、植物遗存以及单面石器伴生。本研究对该皮劳科足迹化石及其相关沉积构造开展了详细分析，并提供了新的放射性碳测年数据。经足迹学分析，该遗迹被可靠归属为现代人迹（Hominipes modernus）——一种通常与智人（Homo sapiens）相关的类人猿足迹。该皮劳科遗迹化石具有若干独特特征：远端拇趾修长，侧部趾印因沉积物坍塌而被掩盖，遗迹内部及周边存在沉积物团块。为探究该足迹化石的成因，研究团队对复水后的化石层沉积物开展了造迹实验。实验结果表明，人类行为体可轻松生成与该沉积构造形态匹配的足迹……