130000-YEAR-OLD FOSSIL ELEPHANT FOUND NEAR DURBAN, SOUTH-AFRICA - PRELIMINARY-REPORT

A modern African elephant tusk was discovered within a late Pleistocen e aeolianite at Reunion Rocks, south of Durban. Ionium dating indicate s that the tusk is older than 112 kyr BP with stratigraphic control su ggesting a date at ca. 130 kyr BP. Preliminary carbon stable-isotopic analyses indicate that the elephant was a grass-grazer. Strontium isot opic analyses indicate a marine signature: this implies that the tusk suffered marine diagenesis or that the elephant accumulated a marine s trontium isotope signature by living along the coastline. Research is continuing.