Paleoecology of Early Hominidae in Africa

Following the discovery of the "Taung Child" (Australopithecus africanus) in 1924 in the Buxton-Norlim Limeworks near Taung, the fossil-bearing deposits associated with the Dart and Hrdlička pinnacles have been interpreted as the mined remnants of cave sediments that formed within the Plio-Pleistocene Thabaseek Tufa: either as a younger cave-fill or as contemporaneous carapace caves. When combined with the Plio-Pleistocene dolomitic cave deposits from the "Cradle of Humankind," a rather restricted view emerges that South African early hominins derived from cave deposits, whereas those of east and central Africa are derived from fluvio-lacustrine and paleosol deposits. We undertook a sedimentological and paleomagnetic analysis of the pink-colored deposit (PCS) from which the "Taung Child" is purported to have derived and demonstrate that it is a calcrete, a carbonate-rich pedogenic sediment, which formed on the paleo-land surface. The

American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2013

Following the discovery of the "Taung Child" (Australopithecus africanus) in 1924 in the Buxton-Norlim Limeworks near Taung, the fossil-bearing deposits associated with the Dart and Hrdlička pinnacles have been interpreted as the mined remnants of cave sediments that formed within the Plio-Pleistocene Thabaseek Tufa: either as a younger cave-fill or as contemporaneous carapace caves. When combined with the Plio-Pleistocene dolomitic cave deposits from the "Cradle of Humankind," a rather restricted view emerges that South African early hominins derived from cave deposits, whereas those of east and central Africa are derived from fluvio-lacustrine and paleosol deposits. We undertook a sedimentological and paleomagnetic analysis of the pink-colored deposit (PCS) from which the "Taung Child" is purported to have derived and demonstrate that it is a calcrete, a carbonate-rich pedogenic sediment, which formed on the paleo-land surface. The

2016

INTRODUCTION AND BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND In November of 1924, geologists R.B. Young delivered a 'cercopithecid' skull from the Buxton-Norlim Limeworks (BNL), near Taung (now the North West Province), South Africa, for description to Raymond Dart at the University of the Witwatersrand Medical School (Tobias 1985). This 'monkey' turned out to be something rather different, representing the first early hominin fossil ever recovered from Africa and the type specimen for Australopithecus africanus (Dart 1925). Numerous adult versions have since been found at the sites of Sterkfontein, the Makapansgat Limeworks and possibly Gladysvale (Berger et al. 1992; Broom 1938; Dart 1948). The identification of the 'Taung Child' as an early human ancestor changed contemporary perspectives on human evolution and generated interest in the site of Taung(s) as an important palaeoanthropological locality. Immediately following Dart's 1925 Nature paper, a number of researchers made exploratory trips to the BNL and 2015 marked the 90th anniversary of the description of the first fossil of Australopithecus africanus, commonly known as the Taung Child, which was unearthed during blasting at the Buxton-Norlim Limeworks (referred to as the BNL) 15 km SE of the town of Taung, South Africa. Subsequently, this site has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site on the basis of its importance to southern African palaeoanthropology. Some other sites such as Equus Cave and Black Earth Cave have also been investigated; but the latter not since the 1940s. These sites indicate that the complex of palaeontological and archaeological localities at the BNL preserve a time sequence spanning the Pliocene to the Holocene. The relationship of these various sites and how they fit into the sequence of formation of tufa, landscapes and caves at the limeworks have also not been investigated or discussed in detail since Peabody's efforts in the 1940s. In this contribution we mark the 90th anniversary of the discovery and description of the Taung Child by providing a critical review of previous work at Taung based on our recent preliminary work at the site. This includes a reassessment of the Taung Child Type Site, as well as renewed excavations at Equus Cave and the lesser-known locality and little-investigated Black Earth Cave. Preliminary results suggest that much of our previous understandings of the BNL's formational history and site formation processes need to be reassessed. Only through detailed analysis on the BNL as a whole can we understand this complex depositional environment.

2010

Wrangham et al.(2009; p 234, Table 2) list the estimated ages and taxonomic status of hominins recovered from the southern African palaeocaves. They do so mostly by placing question marks beside apparent ages. In some cases, both the dates and taxonomic affinity of hominins provided are incorrect or out of date.

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We describe some early findings of a project commencing in 2004 to investigate the palaeoanthropological potential of part of the escarp-ment of the Ghaap Plateau, Northern Cape and North West Provinces, South Africa. This escarpment contains the World Heritage site of Taung, but its potential for pre-Holocene research has remained largely unexplored for the 80 years since the discovery of these important hominin remains. The region is also known for open fluvial and pan sites yielding Lower and Middle Pleistocene tool types and the long though, discontinuous sequence of Wonderwerk Cave. Surface collection and excavation of Groot Kloof site B have yielded fossils from the Florisian Land Mammal Age and lithics that may reflect a late ESA/early MSA type industry. Geological research at Groot Kloof site D provides a preliminary U-Th age for fossil-bearing tufa, and palaeomagnetic analyses show normal magnetic polarities throughout the locality. Together they suggest a late-Middle Pleistocene age for these deposits. Small largely intrusive pockets of LSA bearing breccia are also being investigated. The significance of our discovery is underscored by current debate about the emergence of modern humans.

Prevec, R.-A structural re-interpretation and revision of the type material of the glossopterid ovuliferous fructification Scutum from South Africa Sandersen, A., Scott, L., McLachlan, I.R. & Hancox, P.J.-Cretaceous biozonation based on terrestrial palynomorphs from two wells in the offshore Orange Basin of South Africa Kennedy, W.J. & Klinger, H.C.-Cretaceous faunas from Zululand and Natal, South Africa. The ammonite subgenus Hauericeras (Gardeniceras) Matsumoto & Obata, 1955 Reynolds, S.C. & Kibii, J.M.-Sterkfontein at 75: review of palaeoenvironments, fauna and archaeology from the hominin site of Sterkfontein (

In current geopolitical terminology Zululand and Pondoland now form parts of the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape respectively. For the sake of continuity we retain the names Zululand and Natal in the title of our series of systematic descriptions of the invertebrate faunas from these regions from 1975 onwards.

Comptes Rendus Palevol, 2016

The Plio-Pleistocene locality of Kromdraai B has yielded the type specimen of Paranthropus robustus, as well as 27 additional fossil hominin specimens. In a number of both cranial and dental features, the states shown by the Kromdraai Paranthropus are more conservative when compared to the more derived conditions displayed by both South African conspecifics and the post-2.3 Ma eastern African Paranthropus boisei. Since 2014, we excavated the earliest known infilling of the Kromdraai cave system in a previously unexplored area. This new locality provided as yet 2200 identifiable macrovertebrate fossils, including 22 hominins, all tied in the earliest part of the stratigraphic sequence, representing three distinct depositional periods. Since we report here, for the first time, the occurrence of fossil hominins in Members 1 and 2, our discoveries stretch the time span of hominin evolution at Kromdraai and contribute to a better understanding of the origin of Paranthropus in southern Africa.

The current understanding of landscape scale variation in mid-Pleistocene hominin behavior is limited. Most of our understanding derives from a few localities in eastern Africa. Consequently, we know very little about hominin landscape use outside this region, despite the fact that mid-Pleistocene hominins occupied other climatic zones including temperate, and mid-latitude ecosystems. The winter rainfall zone in South Africa represents one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems. Although mammal diversity is relatively low in these habitats this is compensated by the tremendous floral diversity. Buried Pleistocene land surfaces in the region provide an opportunity to understand how humans adapted to this unique, mid-latitude environment prior to the Last Interglacial. The dunefield locality of Elandsfontein in the Western Cape of South Africa is one of the richest known paleontological and archeological sites in southern Africa. It records details of landscape formation history, enabling detailed reconstruction of the ancient environments in this winter rainfall-dominated region. This dunefield archive allows us to posit the taphonomic history of newly excavated archaeological material and previously collected specimens. Here we provide initial results from the excavation and geological analysis of the Elandsfontein dunefield and provide new insights into the formation history of the archaeological and paleontological deposits. This includes indications of multiple pedogenic intervals and groundwater table fluctuations. The combination of geological, paleontological and archaeological data provides a framework for evaluating how hominins interacted with the unique ecosystems of the Cape Floral Region of South Africa during the mid-Pleistocene.