Stephen M Rucina
Biographic Data
| ID | 211497 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Stephen M Rucina |
| GIVEN NAMES | Stephen M |
| FAMILY NAME | Rucina |
| SIGNATURE | RUCINA S M |
| AFFILIATIONS | National Museums of Kenya |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 12 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 62 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 12 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2023 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Kilombe Volcano, Kenya
New Oldowan localities at high level within Kilombe Caldera, Kenya
Late Holocene environmental change and anthropogenic
East African ecosystems have been shaped by long-term socio-ecological–environmental interactions. Although much previous work on human–environment interrelationships have emphasised the negative impacts of human interventions, a growing body of work shows that there have also often been strong beneficial connections between people and ecosystems, especially in savanna environments. However, limited information and understanding of past interacti…
A 3000-year record of vegetation changes and fire at a high-elevation wetland on Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Kilimanjaro is experiencing the consequences of climate change and multiple land-use pressures. Few paleoenvironmental and archeological records exist to examine historical patterns of late Holocene ecosystem changes on Kilimanjaro. Here we present pollen, phytolith, and charcoal (>125 μm) data from a palustrine sediment core that provide a 3000-year radiocarbon-dated record collected from a wetland near the headwaters of the Maua watershed in th…
Rift Dynamics and Archaeological Sites
Climate-human-landscape interaction in the eastern foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro (equatorial East Africa) during the last two millennia
The Mt. Kilimanjaro region is known for its long history of intensive agriculture, but the temporal extent of human activity and its impact on the regional ecosystem are not well known. In this study, climate-human-landscape interactions during the past ~2200 years were examined using climate and vegetation proxies extracted from the continuous and high-resolution sediment record of Lake Chala. Ancient-to-modern regional human activity is documen…
Geochronology of a long Pleistocene sequence at Kilombe volcano, Kenya
Late Holocene wetland transgression and 500 years of vegetation and fire variability in the semi-arid Amboseli landscape, southern Kenya
The semi-arid Amboseli landscape, southern Kenya, is characterised by intermittent groundwater-fed wetlands that form sedimentary geoarchives recording past ecosystem changes. We present a 5000-year environmental history of a radiocarbon dated sediment core from Esambu Swamp adjacent to Amboseli National Park. Although radiocarbon dates suggest an unconformity or sedimentary gap that spans between 3800 and 500 cal year BP, the record provides a u…
Evidence of Burning from Bushfires in Southern and East Africa and Its Relevance to Hominin Evolution
Early human fire use is of great scientific interest, but little comparative work has been undertaken across the ecological settings in which natural fire occurs or on the taphonomy of fire and circumstances in which natural and human-controlled fire could be confused. We present here results of experiments carried out with fire fronts from grass- and bushland in South and East Africa. Our work illustrates that in these circumstances hominins wou…
Edaphic and Topographic Constraints on Exploitation of the Central Kenya Rift by Large Mammals and Early Hominins
Our aim in this paper is to create a palaeoenvironmental and spatio-temporal framework for interpreting human land use and exploitation of large mammals in the Central Kenya Rift over the past 2 million years, with particular reference to the Nakuru-Elmenteita-Naivasha basin and its adjacent rift flanks on the Kinangop Plateau and Mau escarpment. We pay particular attention to the tectonic and volcanic history of the region, and to the system of …
At the Heart of the AfricanAcheulean
The Kilombe sites and their place in the Acheulean. Kilombe is one of a series of great Acheulean site complexes in eastern Africa. In this paper we use new evidence to reflect on how studies of its landscapes – geographical, ecological and sociocultural – have developed through a generation of studies.
Late-Holocene savanna dynamics in the Amboseli Basin, Kenya
Pollen, microscopic charcoal and radiocarbon data are used to document changes in vegetation dynamics during the late Holocene from Namelok Swamp in the Amboseli Basin (Kenya). The data reveal changes in savanna vegetation composition driven by an interaction of climate change, anthropogenic and herbivore activities. The abundance of Celtis, Podocarpus and Syzygium reflects a relatively moist climate from around 3000 to 2400 cal. yr BP. Increased…
Evidence of Burning from Bushfires in Southern and East Africa and Its Relevance to Hominin Evolution
Early human fire use is of great scientific interest, but little comparative work has been undertaken across the ecological settings in which natural fire occurs or on the taphonomy of fire and circumstances in which natural and human-controlled fire could be confused. We present here results of experiments carried out with fire fronts from grass- and bushland in South and East Africa. Our work illustrates that in these circumstances hominins wou…
Edaphic and Topographic Constraints on Exploitation of the Central Kenya Rift by Large Mammals and Early Hominins
Our aim in this paper is to create a palaeoenvironmental and spatio-temporal framework for interpreting human land use and exploitation of large mammals in the Central Kenya Rift over the past 2 million years, with particular reference to the Nakuru-Elmenteita-Naivasha basin and its adjacent rift flanks on the Kinangop Plateau and Mau escarpment. We pay particular attention to the tectonic and volcanic history of the region, and to the system of …
Geochronology of a long Pleistocene sequence at Kilombe volcano, Kenya
Late-Holocene savanna dynamics in the Amboseli Basin, Kenya
Pollen, microscopic charcoal and radiocarbon data are used to document changes in vegetation dynamics during the late Holocene from Namelok Swamp in the Amboseli Basin (Kenya). The data reveal changes in savanna vegetation composition driven by an interaction of climate change, anthropogenic and herbivore activities. The abundance of Celtis, Podocarpus and Syzygium reflects a relatively moist climate from around 3000 to 2400 cal. yr BP. Increased…
Late Holocene environmental change and anthropogenic
East African ecosystems have been shaped by long-term socio-ecological–environmental interactions. Although much previous work on human–environment interrelationships have emphasised the negative impacts of human interventions, a growing body of work shows that there have also often been strong beneficial connections between people and ecosystems, especially in savanna environments. However, limited information and understanding of past interacti…
Late Holocene wetland transgression and 500 years of vegetation and fire variability in the semi-arid Amboseli landscape, southern Kenya
The semi-arid Amboseli landscape, southern Kenya, is characterised by intermittent groundwater-fed wetlands that form sedimentary geoarchives recording past ecosystem changes. We present a 5000-year environmental history of a radiocarbon dated sediment core from Esambu Swamp adjacent to Amboseli National Park. Although radiocarbon dates suggest an unconformity or sedimentary gap that spans between 3800 and 500 cal year BP, the record provides a u…
Late-Holocene savanna dynamics in the Amboseli Basin, Kenya
Pollen, microscopic charcoal and radiocarbon data are used to document changes in vegetation dynamics during the late Holocene from Namelok Swamp in the Amboseli Basin (Kenya). The data reveal changes in savanna vegetation composition driven by an interaction of climate change, anthropogenic and herbivore activities. The abundance of Celtis, Podocarpus and Syzygium reflects a relatively moist climate from around 3000 to 2400 cal. yr BP. Increased…
At the Heart of the AfricanAcheulean
The Kilombe sites and their place in the Acheulean. Kilombe is one of a series of great Acheulean site complexes in eastern Africa. In this paper we use new evidence to reflect on how studies of its landscapes – geographical, ecological and sociocultural – have developed through a generation of studies.
Edaphic and Topographic Constraints on Exploitation of the Central Kenya Rift by Large Mammals and Early Hominins
Our aim in this paper is to create a palaeoenvironmental and spatio-temporal framework for interpreting human land use and exploitation of large mammals in the Central Kenya Rift over the past 2 million years, with particular reference to the Nakuru-Elmenteita-Naivasha basin and its adjacent rift flanks on the Kinangop Plateau and Mau escarpment. We pay particular attention to the tectonic and volcanic history of the region, and to the system of …
Evidence of Burning from Bushfires in Southern and East Africa and Its Relevance to Hominin Evolution
Early human fire use is of great scientific interest, but little comparative work has been undertaken across the ecological settings in which natural fire occurs or on the taphonomy of fire and circumstances in which natural and human-controlled fire could be confused. We present here results of experiments carried out with fire fronts from grass- and bushland in South and East Africa. Our work illustrates that in these circumstances hominins wou…
Late Holocene wetland transgression and 500 years of vegetation and fire variability in the semi-arid Amboseli landscape, southern Kenya
The semi-arid Amboseli landscape, southern Kenya, is characterised by intermittent groundwater-fed wetlands that form sedimentary geoarchives recording past ecosystem changes. We present a 5000-year environmental history of a radiocarbon dated sediment core from Esambu Swamp adjacent to Amboseli National Park. Although radiocarbon dates suggest an unconformity or sedimentary gap that spans between 3800 and 500 cal year BP, the record provides a u…
Rift Dynamics and Archaeological Sites
Climate-human-landscape interaction in the eastern foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro (equatorial East Africa) during the last two millennia
The Mt. Kilimanjaro region is known for its long history of intensive agriculture, but the temporal extent of human activity and its impact on the regional ecosystem are not well known. In this study, climate-human-landscape interactions during the past ~2200 years were examined using climate and vegetation proxies extracted from the continuous and high-resolution sediment record of Lake Chala. Ancient-to-modern regional human activity is documen…
Geochronology of a long Pleistocene sequence at Kilombe volcano, Kenya
A 3000-year record of vegetation changes and fire at a high-elevation wetland on Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Kilimanjaro is experiencing the consequences of climate change and multiple land-use pressures. Few paleoenvironmental and archeological records exist to examine historical patterns of late Holocene ecosystem changes on Kilimanjaro. Here we present pollen, phytolith, and charcoal (>125 μm) data from a palustrine sediment core that provide a 3000-year radiocarbon-dated record collected from a wetland near the headwaters of the Maua watershed in th…
New Oldowan localities at high level within Kilombe Caldera, Kenya
Late Holocene environmental change and anthropogenic
East African ecosystems have been shaped by long-term socio-ecological–environmental interactions. Although much previous work on human–environment interrelationships have emphasised the negative impacts of human interventions, a growing body of work shows that there have also often been strong beneficial connections between people and ecosystems, especially in savanna environments. However, limited information and understanding of past interacti…
Kilombe Volcano, Kenya
Geography (11 works) · Archaeology (8 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (8 works) · Ecology (6 works) · Geology (6 works) · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research (6 works) · Paleontology (6 works) · Biology (4 works) · Ecology (4 works) · Evolution and Paleontology Studies (4 works)