Lithostratigraphy of Masol paleonto-archeological localities in the Quranwala zone, 2.6 Ma, Northwestern India

Since 2008, the ‘Siwaliks’ Indo-French Program of Research has surveyed the north of the Chandigarh anticline (Siwalik Frontal Range [SFR], northwestern India) in the Masol inlier known for its Plio-Pleistocene transitional fauna (2.6 Ma). Twelve paleonto-archeological localities have been identified in the Quranwala fossiliferous zone, where many fossils and stone tools are lying on the outcrops or included in the erosional debris of the same layers. Cut-marks on a few fossil bones attest to the presence of hominins. This paper presents the detailed lithostratigraphy of these paleontological and archeological localities and their position in the stratigraphic log of the Quranwala zone reconstructed for the Masol anticline.