VESTIGE OF THE HOMINID AT THE PLEISTOCENE ANCIENT ESTUARINE FOSSILS BEARING SITE OF CISAAR VALLEY, SUMEDANG, WEST JAVA

Abstract

Research about Pleistocene human environments in West Java is still limited, based on this fact our study was conducted. One of the Pleistocene sites in West Java that has thepotential for studying paleo-environmental is the Cisaar Valley. Cisaar Valley is locatedon the east part of the Sumedang Regency in West Java Province. The area is close to the boundary of the Sumedang-Majalengka Regency. In this location, the sandy and clay dominated the sedimentary rocks which are well exposed along the outcrops in the Cisaar Valley. These sedimentary rocks are inferred from Pliocene-Pleistocene deposits from Kaliwangu and Citalang Formation. Data obtained from selected references and measuring stratigraphic sections along Cisaar River and its tributary rivers in Cibengkung and Cirendang hamlets, Jembarwangi village. There are at least three depositional paleoenvironments which from oldest to the youngest age are: shallow marine, estuarine and fluviatile braided channel depositional paleo-environment. Characteristics of the lower, middle and upper of the estuarine environment were found on Cisaar Valley as the evidence of the oceanic regression processes which was happened in the past in this area. Two horizons of the fauna units in the Cisaar Valley are found,namely the Cisaat fauna which is its age more than one million years ago and the Trinil fauna associated with stone artifacts that were around 1-0.9 million years ago.

Keywords

• paleoenvironment, cisaar valley, fossil, stone artifact, sumedang, west java.