Eugene Smith and Minghua Ren (both Geoscience) and a team of researchers, including Arizona State University archeologist Curtis Marean recently published a study, “Humans Thrived in South Africa through the Toba Eruption about 74,000 Years ago,” in the journal Nature. The study counters previously held beliefs that the eruption of an Indonesian super volcano — called Mount Toba — and the resulting “winter” of ash and smoke spread thousands of miles, destroyed plants, killed animals, and nearly wiped out humans. In fact, researchers were able to show that those human ancestors living at Pinnacle Point and Vleesbaai — located about five miles apart — showed remarkable improvement in their lifestyle during the volcanic winter caused by the Toba eruption.
