Some authorities describe the British Red Crag Formation and Waltonian Stage as late Piacenzian,[6][7] while others regard them as early Pleistocene.
In particular, the KM5c interglacial during the Mid-Piacenzian Warm Period occurred during an orbital configuration close to the current situation, with similar geographical distribution of solar insolation.
The find was made by Ethiopian student Chalachew Seyoum at a site called Ledi-Geraru between the Mille and Awash rivers, in Afar Regional State (near 11°22′N 40°52′E / 11.36°N 40.86°E / 11.36; 40.86).
[14][15] Based on geological evidence from the Afar region, the individual would have lived just after a major climate shift, during which forests and waterways were rapidly replaced by arid savanna.
This interpretation is consistent with hypotheses that emphasize the savanna as the ancestral environment which shaped the evolution of early Homo and other hominins.