Geochronology
Based on current data Au. africanus dates to between 3.03 and 2.04 million years based on a combination of palaeomagnetism (Andy Herries, La Trobe University, Australia, Uranium-lead (Robyn Pickering (U. Melbourne, Australia), electron spin resonance (Darren Curnoe, UNSW, Australia) and faunal dating. The Makapansgat fossils date to between 3.03 and 2.58 million years with fossils MLD37/38 likely dating close to 2.58 million years; Sterkfontein dates to between 2.58 and 2.04 million years with the Sts 5 Mrs Ples fossil dating to around 2.04 million years; and Gladysvale dates to between 2.4 and 2.0 million years. The age of the Taung child remains more difficult to determine and is the focus of a current project by Brian Kuhn (U. Witwatersrand, S. Africa), Phil Hopley (Birkbeck College, UK), Colin Menter (U. Johannesburg, S. Africa) and Andy Herries (La Trobe University, Australia).
Read more about this topic: Australopithecus Africanus