Relevant bibliographies by topics / Caves – South Africa – Sterkfontein

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Academic literature on the topic 'Caves – South Africa – Sterkfontein'

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Published: 4 June 2021
Last updated: 10 February 2022

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Journal articles on the topic "Caves – South Africa – Sterkfontein"

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Emsley, Robin. "Focus on psychiatry in South Africa." British Journal of Psychiatry 178, no. 4 (2001): 382–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/bjp.178.4.382.

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South Africa is a country of great fascination to those interested in the origins, development and behaviour of humankind. For example, recent fossil discoveries appear to confirm Darwin's hunch that Africa – and perhaps southern Africa – was the cradle of humankind. Caves in the Sterkfontein Valley near Johannesburg have produced abundant scientific information on the evolution of modern man over the past 3.5 million years. This is of interest not only from a historical point of view but also in terms of modern science. With the significant advances in medical genetics in general, and psychiatric genetics in particular, there has been a growing interest in homogeneous populations with novel gene pools. South Africa is a rich source of homogeneous populations with an apparently common ancestry.
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Pickering, Travis Rayne, Jason L. Heaton, Ron J. Clarke, and Dominic Stratford. "Hominin hand bone fossils from Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa (1998–2003 excavations)." Journal of Human Evolution 118 (May 2018): 89–102. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.02.014.

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Georgiou, Leoni, Christopher J. Dunmore, Ameline Bardo, et al. "Evidence for habitual climbing in a Pleistocene hominin in South Africa." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 15 (2020): 8416–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1914481117.

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Bipedalism is a defining trait of the hominin lineage, associated with a transition from a more arboreal to a more terrestrial environment. While there is debate about when modern human-like bipedalism first appeared in hominins, all known South African hominins show morphological adaptations to bipedalism, suggesting that this was their predominant mode of locomotion. Here we present evidence that hominins preserved in the Sterkfontein Caves practiced two different locomotor repertoires. The trabecular structure of a proximal femur (StW 522) attributed to Australopithecus africanus exhibits a modern human-like bipedal locomotor pattern, while that of a geologically younger specimen (StW 311) attributed to either Homo sp. or Paranthropus robustus exhibits a pattern more similar to nonhuman apes, potentially suggesting regular bouts of both climbing and terrestrial bipedalism. Our results demonstrate distinct morphological differences, linked to behavioral differences between Australopithecus and later hominins in South Africa and contribute to the increasing evidence of locomotor diversity within the hominin clade.
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Pickering, Travis Rayne, Jason L. Heaton, R. J. Clarke, and Dominic Stratford. "Hominin vertebrae and upper limb bone fossils from Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa (1998-2003 excavations)." American Journal of Physical Anthropology 168, no. 3 (2018): 459–80. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.23758.

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Stratford, Dominic, and Robin Crompton. "Introduction to special issue: A 3.67 Ma Australopithecus prometheus skeleton from Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa." Journal of Human Evolution 158 (September 2021): 103008. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2021.103008.

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Clarke, Ronald J. "Excavation, reconstruction and taphonomy of the StW 573 Australopithecus prometheus skeleton from Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa." Journal of Human Evolution 127 (February 2019): 41–53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.11.010.

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Clarke, Ronald J., and Kathleen Kuman. "The skull of StW 573, a 3.67 Ma Australopithecus prometheus skeleton from Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa." Journal of Human Evolution 134 (September 2019): 102634. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.06.005.

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Stratford, Dominic Justin, and Matthew V. Caruana. "The Long-Term Conservation of the Australopithecus-bearing Member 4 Excavation Walls at the Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa." Studies in Conservation 63, no. 4 (2017): 201–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00393630.2017.1307635.

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Bruxelles, Laurent, Dominic J. Stratford, Richard Maire, et al. "A multiscale stratigraphic investigation of the context of StW 573 ‘Little Foot’ and Member 2, Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa." Journal of Human Evolution 133 (August 2019): 78–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.05.008.

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Stratford, Dominic, Stefania Merlo, and Stephen Brown. "The development of a new geospatial framework for the palaeoanthropological site of the Sterkfontein Caves, Cradle of Humankind, Gauteng, South Africa." Journal of Field Archaeology 41, no. 2 (2016): 211–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00934690.2016.1157679.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic "Caves – South Africa – Sterkfontein"

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Nemangwele, Fhulufhelo. "Radon in the Cango Caves." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2005. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&amp.

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Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive element in the 238U decay series that is found in high concentrations in certain geological formations such as Caves. Exposure to high concentrations of radon has been positively linked to the incidence<br /> of lung cancer. This study used Electret ion chambers and the RAD7 continuous radon monitor to measure radon concentrations in the Cango Caves in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Measurements were taken during summer i.e. February 2004 and March 2005. The results for the radon activity concentrations range from the minimum of<br /> about 800 Bq.m-3 to a maximum of 2600 Bq.m-3. The two techniques give very similar results, though the Electret ion chamber results appear to be consistently higher by a few percent where measurements were taken at the same locations. A<br /> mathematical model has been developed to investigate the radon concentrations in the Cave. Diffusion and ventilation have been considered as mechanisms for explaining the distribution of radon concentrations. The ventilation rate in the Cave has been estimated under certain assumptions, and it is found to be about 7 &times<br>10&minus<br>6 s&minus<br>1 for the Van Zyl hall which is the first large chamber in the Cave. The radon concentration increases as one goes deeper into the Cave, but then becomes fairly constant for the deeper parts. The annual effective dose that the guides are exposed to in the Cave as a result of the radon concentrations, depends strongly on the time that they spend in the Cave and in which, halls they spend most of their time in the Cave. The initial results indicate an annual effective dose of 4-10 mSv, but this needs to be further investigated.
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Craven, Stephen Adrian. "Cango Cave, Oudtshoorn District of the Cape Province, South Africa : an assessment of its development and management 1780-1992 : short title, Management problems at Cango Cave." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17328.

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Includes bibliographical references.<br>No detailed investigation has been previously made of the legal status, administration, history, management, finances, and conservation status of a show cave in South Africa. This study, using archival sources and field work, makes a thorough assessment of Cango Cave, a well-known show cave in the Swartberg foothills north of Oudtshoorn in the Cape Province of South Africa. Repeated field trips to Cange Cave and to other caves in the area have confirmed the environmental deterioration of Cango Cave and its surroundings. This study has shown that such deterioration has been caused by human pressures on a non-renewable resource. Reading of the extensive Government and other archives, supplemented by newspaper and other published material, has for the first time enabled the scientific, administrative and financial history of the Cave to be available in one document. Analysis of this assembled evidence, augmented by reading between the lines where the evidence is occasionally missing, has shown the reasons for the failure of successive Cave managements during the past two centuries to operate on a conservation basis. This failure to conserve Cango Cave has occurred despite the avowed policy of every political master of the Cape since 1820 that the Cave is a national asset which shall be conserved. The thesis commences with a description of the location and topography of Cango Cave, followed by a review of cave conservation literature and a summary of the published information on the Cave. There follows a detailed account of the discovery and development of the Cave from 1780 until 1992, and an assessment of its financial status. The impact of humans on the Cave, and its conservation status, are examined in detail. The above data are then discussed at length, and the reasons for the present unsatisfactory management structure identified. Having demonstrated the past and present management failures at Cango Cave, recommendations are made for better management structures and for the necessary applied research. Such research will provide the information which is essential for the future management of Cango Cave on a conservation basis.
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Heaton, Jason L. "Taxonomy of the Sterkfontein fossil Cercopithecinae the Papionini of Members 2 and 4 (Gauteng, South Africa) /." [Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2006. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3240029.

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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Anthropology, 2006.<br>"Title from dissertation home page (viewed July 16, 2007)." Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-10, Section: A, page: 3878. Advisers: Travis R. Pickering; Kevin D. Hunt.
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Pickering, Robyn. "A new Uranium-Lead chronology for the early hominin bearing caves of South Africa /." [S.l.] : [s.n.], 2009. http://www.ub.unibe.ch/content/bibliotheken_sammlungen/sondersammlungen/dissen_bestellformular/index_ger.html.

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Taylor, William Andrew. "Factors influencing productivity in sympatric populations of Mountain Reedbuck and Grey Rhebok in the Sterkfontein Dam Nature Reserve, South Africa." Thesis, University of Pretoria, 2004. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-02152005-111334/.

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Pienaar, Marc. "Dating the stone age at Rose Cottage Cave South Africa : an exercise in optically dating cave sediments." Pretoria : [s.n.], 2005. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-06052007-084723.

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Stratford, Dominic Justin. "The underground central deposits of the Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10539/11470.

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Ph.D., Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, 2011<br>Work on Sterkfontein cave deposits has generally focussed on clarifying the life histories of interned hominin remains. Less attention has been paid to the depositional context of the fossils and the specific stratigraphic processes involved in the formation of deposits, and their interaction within the cave system. Also lacking is an understanding of the complex processes influencing the distribution and integrity of the faunal and artefact assemblages. This research applied a broad-spectrum multidisciplinary approach to investigate a previously unexamined area of the caves with a particularly rich depositional history. The underground central deposits represent several infills of important fossil and artefact-bearing sediments. These sediments have accumulated into one of the deepest central areas of the Sterkfontein cave system creating a confluence area with a complex formation history. Three excavations (STK-MH1, STK-MH2 and STK-EC1) uncovered seven deposits. These deposits document a depositional history ranging from the earliest introduction of allogenic sediments (STK-MH1 T4), to the commercial exploitation of the caves through mining and tourism (STK-MH1 T1, STK-MH2). The stratigraphic sequence for the underground central deposits exhibits multiple formation processes including deposition (through numerous processes), erosion, collapse, diagenetic modification, deformation and displacement. The detailed stratigraphic history of these deposits was elucidated utilising sedimentological, fabric, stratigraphic, taphonomic and taxonomic analyses. As well as deciphering the complex formation history of this important area, this research attempted to identify the influence of cave sedimentation processes on faunal distribution and assemblage integrity. Faunal assemblages are prone to extensive modification caused by sedimentation and re-sedimentation processes mixing and distributing deposits through the caves. Varying sedimentological properties within fossil-bearing sediment gravity flows can cause the destruction of primary context taphonomic evidence, the concentration of fossils representing multiple stratigraphically distinct facies, and deposit-wide fossil distributions based on element size and shape. In addition to these processes, it was found that different skeletal elements change shape in different ways through breakage, thereby changing the specific mobility of the fossils and their potential distribution through the sediment body. Not identifying or not accounting for these post-depositional processes can lead to non-representative sampling, and to the misinterpretation of taphonomic and taxonomic data.
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Venter, Claudia Nicole. "Environmental analysis of modern speleothems from Sterkfontein Caves and its implications for reconstructing palaeoenvironments." Thesis, 2017. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/24030.

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A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. Johannesburg, 2017<br>During the Plio-Pleistocene, the Earth experienced a period of gradual cooling, leading to a decrease in atmospheric temperature and increased seasonality. This resulted in the aridification of large parts of Africa, and this is believed to have encouraged human evolution and innovation. Palaeoenvironmental analyses using sediment deposits as palaeoclimate proxies in the Cradle of Humankind have been used to understand the timing and intensity of this aridification by determining how changes in environmental conditions and seasonal cycles affected the South African landscape. These changes are recorded within the carbon and oxygen isotopic signatures of speleothems, which have precipitated within the Sterkfontein Caves system. The aim of this study is to understand the degree to which modern speleothems represent the modern climate and environment, and thereby deduce the reliability of speleothem deposits in the Sterkfontein Caves system as palaeoclimate proxies. Samples of modern speleothems were collected from different chambers of the Sterkfontein Caves, along with the collection of modern drip water samples bi-weekly over a period of 14 months. Oxygen and carbon stable light isotope analyses of these modern speleothem and drip water samples were used to obtain modern temperature, precipitation and vegetation data. These data were then compared to modern climatic and environmental records for atmospheric temperatures and precipitation from weather stations around the Sterkfontein Caves area. The δ13C trends produced from the modern speleothem samples reflected the current vegetation distribution in terms of C4 and C3 vegetation very well, while the temperatures calculated from the δ18O values of the modern speleothem and drip water samples displayed variations related to kinetic fractionation effects, rendering these data less useful in reflecting the current atmospheric temperatures. The δ18O values of the drip water samples, along with the measured drip rate reflected current precipitation seasonality, taking into account groundwater residence time and recharge rate. The conditions within the cave conducive to formation of the speleothems was well reflected by the pH and electro-conductivity values produced from the drip water samples. These values also provided further insight into the exterior climatic conditions. Overall, the carbon and oxygen stable light isotope data revealed patterns present in the modern speleothem and drip water samples, which could be further related to changes in local climate during the precipitation of these modern speleothems from drip water sources. This, to a certain degree, provides evidence of the reliability of speleothems in the Sterkfontein Caves system as suitable palaeoclimate proxies with regards to vegetation and precipitation interpretations, over a longer term scale and at higher sampling resolution.<br>MT 2018
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Mokokwe, Dipuo Winnie. "Taxonomy, taphonomy and spatial distribution of the cercopithecoid postcranial fossils from Sterkfontein caves." Thesis, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10539/21692.

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A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the higher degree of Doctor of Philosophy. July, 2016.<br>Fossil primates are some of the most well represented fauna in South Africa’s fossil Plio-Pleistocene cave sites. Sterkfontein preserves the largest number of fossil primates and a large portion of these are cercopithecoid remains. This research project provides a taxonomic analysis of the abundant fossil cercopithecoid post-cranial limb elements discovered at the site. One thousand five hundred fourteen identifiable fossil cercopithecoid postcrania from the Sterkfontein caves are analysed. From these, five genera are identified from morphologically diagnostic postcranial elements; these are Papio, Parapapio, Theropithecus, Cercopithecoides and Cercopithecus. Theropithecus is identified in Member 4, earlier than previously known. It is established that size, form and function are important factors in taxonomic studies. They play a major role in taxonomic examinations; however, they cannot be treated as disconnected facets of a taxonomic exercise. Each plays an essential role in taxonomic analyses. The study confirms that the Member 4 environment, which illustrates the turn from the Pliocene to the Pleistocene and the most mosaic of all the Plio-Pleistocene sites of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, samples the most faunal variability in the Sterkfontein Cave deposits. This research supports the hypothesis that carnivores were not the main accumulating agent for the cercopithecoid fossil remains within the caves. The carnivores, however, impacted the fossil cercopithecoid assemblage. Leopards and hyaenas are identified as some of the carnivores which accumulated the fossil cercopithecoids within the Sterkfontein caves. The research has opened a new scope for taxonomic analysis of isolated fossil cercopithecoid postcrania in the southern African fossil cave sites.<br>LG2017
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Makhubela, Tebogo Vincent. "⁴⁰ Ar/³⁹Ar and (U-Th)/He dating attempts on the fossil-bearing cave deposits of the Malapa and Sterkfontein hominin sites of the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa." Thesis, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10210/13697.

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M.Sc. (Geology)<br>The Cradle of Humankind is a 47 000 hectare demarcated area with over three dozen fossil-bearing cave sites well known for the preservation of fossil evidence of early hominin taxa such as Australopithecus Africanus, Australopithecus Sediba, Paranthropus Robustus and Early Homo. As a result, a database of precise and accurate chronological data for fossil-bearing cave deposits of the Cradle of Humankind (similar to that for East African fossil sites) is very important, but developing one has proven extremely challenging. The main challenge is that the fossil-bearing deposits at the cradle are mainly complex breccias with a chaotic, localized stratigraphy and no association to any volcanic ash beds, unlike the East African deposits which are lacustrine and fluviatile deposits interbedded with volcanic ash layers. However, substantial success has been obtained recently through the combination of U-Pb dating of CaCO₃ speleothems and palaeomagnetic dating (magnetostratigraphy) after many attempts and unconvincing results from techniques such as biostratigraphic correlations, electron spin resonance on teeth and cosmogenic burial dating of the sediments. The problem with U-Pb dating of CaCO₃ speleothems is that this requires samples that are extremely clean (i.e. detrital-free) and have an appreciable U content (close to 1 ppm), and such material is at many sites not available...
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Books on the topic "Caves – South Africa – Sterkfontein"

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Rock shelter: Some cave and cliff structures in Lesotho and South Africa. Vernacularch, 2010.

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Zipfel, Bernhard, Brian G. Richmond, and Carol V. Ward, eds. Hominin Postcranial Remains from Sterkfontein, South Africa, 1936-1995. Oxford University Press, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197507667.001.0001.

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The excavations at Sterkfontein Cave, Gauteng Province, South Africa, have yielded one of the largest collections of postcranial fossils of any hominin site. These fossils remain relatively unstudied, and few published comprehensively, despite the enormous potential of these fossils for answering questions about Australopithecus africanus paleobiology, early hominin variation, and early human evolution. This volume presents photographs, anatomical descriptions and analyses for all Sterkfontein hominin postcranial fossils that were available for study in 2009, when an international workshop of experts was convened at University of the Witwatersrand to discuss and study this material. The chapters in this volume represent a foundation for further investigations with which to interpret these and other fossils from Sterkfontein, and from all over Africa, that will be recovered in years to come.
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Hominin Postcranial Remains from Sterkfontein, South Africa, 1936-1995. Oxford University Press, Incorporated, 2020.

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Book chapters on the topic "Caves – South Africa – Sterkfontein"

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Clarke, Ronald. "Australopithecus from Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa." In The Paleobiology of Australopithecus. Springer Netherlands, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5919-0_7.

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Stratford, Dominic. "A Review of the Geomorphological Context and Stratigraphy of the Sterkfontein Caves, South Africa." In Hypogene Karst Regions and Caves of the World. Springer International Publishing, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53348-3_60.

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Grine, Frederick E., Marcia M. Delanty, and Bernard A. Wood. "Variation in Mandibular Postcanine Dental Morphology and Hominin Species Representation in Member 4, Sterkfontein, South Africa." In The Paleobiology of Australopithecus. Springer Netherlands, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5919-0_8.

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Wenzel, Marita. "Houses, Cellars and Caves in Selected Novels from Latin America and South Africa." In Literary Landscapes. Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2008. http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/9780230227712_9.

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Stratford, Dominic. "The geological setting, cave formation, and stratigraphy of the fossil-bearing deposits at Sterkfontein Caves." In Hominin Postcranial Remains from Sterkfontein, South Africa, 1936-1995. Oxford University Press, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0002.

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Understanding the formation of the Sterkfontein Caves is critical for interpreting the geologic age and patterns of accumulation of the fossils found there. The complex stratigraphy of the caves has been investigated for decades, often yielding conflicting interpretation. Current research at Sterkfontein aims to apply new mutlidisciplinary stratigraphic analyses to new stratigraphically sensitive excavations, thereby providing high-resolution contextual support to recovered assemblages and attempts to increase our understanding of excavated deposit morphology through identification and study of sedimentary and stratigraphic features preserved in the remnants of previous excavations. The Sterkfontein deposits separated into six members, Member 1 to Member 6, of which Member 2, 4, and 5 have yielded hominin remains. Partial collapses and localized erosion of deposits are common, and the spaces created are often filled with sediments from distinct sources, complicating interpretation. This is especially the case with Members 4 and 5. Characterizing taxonomic, morphological, or cultural variability from excavated deposits where no stratigraphy was recognized is difficult but is the subject of ongoing work.
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Thackeray, J. Francis. "A summary of the history of exploration at the Sterkfontein Caves in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site." In Hominin Postcranial Remains from Sterkfontein, South Africa, 1936-1995. Oxford University Press, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0001.

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Sterkfontein Caves, near Pretoria, South Africa, are part of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site. The caves have yielded hundreds of hominin fossils recovered over a period spanning more than a century. Exploration of the deposits has occurred in three phases. In the first phase from 1895–1935, fossils of various animals were recovered unsystematically by limestone miners, who noted fossiliferous breccias. The second phase, from 1936–1966, involved teams led by Robert Broom and John Robinson. Broom and Robinson’s excavations recovered many hominin fossils from Members 4 and 5, stone artifacts, and initial mapping of the Sterkfontein deposits. The third phase, 1966 until the present, included excavations led by Philip Tobias, Alun Hughes, Tim Partridge, Ron Clarke, Kathy Kuman, and Dominic Stratford. During this phase, the six members of the Sterkfontein deposits were recognized and characterized, and additional fossils of hominins and other fauna, as well as stone artifacts were recovered. Importantly, extensive analysis of fauna and paleonvironments was conducted. Hominin fossils were also recovered from Member 2. Considerable geochronological work has been done to characterize the complex stratigraphy and dating of these deposits. This chapter reviews the history of fieldwork at Sterkfontein.
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Pickering, Robyn, and Andy I. R. Herries. "A new multidisciplinary age of 2.61–2.07 Ma for the Sterkfontein Member 4 australopiths." In Hominin Postcranial Remains from Sterkfontein, South Africa, 1936-1995. Oxford University Press, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0003.

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Sterkfontein Caves is the single richest early hominin site in the world, with deposits yielding two potential species of Australopithecus, Paranthropus robustus, and early Homo, as well as an extensive faunal collection and stone tools. Recent advances in uranium-lead (U-Pb) dating of speleothems and palaeomagnetic analysis at Sterkfontein provide the first consistent chronological framework for Member 4 (MB4) and so the interned australopith fossils. Current data suggest that the MB4 deposit and so australopith remains accumulated over at least 400,000 years (2.4–2.0 Ma) if not 500,000–800,000 years. This long period of deposition should be taken into account when studying the MB4 australopith remains and looking at variability in both anatomy and other data such as isotopic evidence for diet.
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Ward, Carol V., and Bernhard Zipfel. "Summary and synthesis." In Hominin Postcranial Remains from Sterkfontein, South Africa, 1936-1995. Oxford University Press, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0018.

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This chapter summarizes the findings presented in the preceding chapters. To our knowledge, this volume represents the first source presenting all these fossils together in one collection. The chapters in this book provide photographs, measurements, and basic descriptions of each postcranial fossil. They present comparative observations and analyses and statistical analysis of taxonomically and functionally relevant aspects of morphology, and in some cases they provide reconstructions of the bones. Each of the chapters in this volume addresses key questions surrounding the Sterkfontein hominins. The Sterkfontein specimens share with other hominins features of the vertebral column, thorax, hip, knee, ankle, and foot indicating fully upright, human-like posture. Among many anatomical regions, though, the A. africanus fossils appear distinct from those attributed to A. afarensis, yet the variation between these samples often does not exceed that observed within single species of extant hominoids. Still, there may be evidence of more climbing behavior but also improved manual manipulatory behaviors, and perhaps a slightly different gait than typical of other hominins. Each chapter in this volume comes to a similar conclusion, that although variation in size or morphology may exceed that found in other australopith species, or even among mixed samples of other fossil hominins, the hypothesis that only one species is represented by the Sterkfontein Member 4 hominins cannot be falsified. The australopith species that “started it all” back in 1925 still has more to teach us, and we all look forward to learning what the future holds for Australopithecus africanus.
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Ward, Carol V., Burt Rosenman, Bruce Latimer, and Shahed Nalla. "Thoracolumbar vertebrae and ribs." In Hominin Postcranial Remains from Sterkfontein, South Africa, 1936-1995. Oxford University Press, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0010.

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This chapter describes and presents analysis of all vertebrae and ribs for the Sterkfontein hominins, including those associated with the Sts 14 and 431 skeletons. New rib fragments recently identified and accessioned with Sts 14 are included. Taken together, the vertebrae and ribs of the Sterkfontein hominins tell a consistent story. With one exception from Member 5 that may be attributable to Homo, all other specimens are consistent with being attributed to the same species, likely Australopithecus africanus. Overall, all the Sterkfontein specimens resemble those from other early hominins, reflecting a fundamentally human-like torso, with a series of sinusoidal spinal curvatures similar to those of hominins. These characteristics are distinctly human-like, are dissimilar from any other mammal, and are consistent with a fully upright posture. Sts 14 also displays two common spinal pathologies seen in humans but not in other hominoids, associated with the sinusoidal spinal curvatures that are necessary for habitual bipedality. The rib cage of the Sterkfontein hominins, although fragmentary, appears to indicate declination and torsion of the ribs, features that are unique to hominins. The Sterkfontein fossils also appear to have longer, thicker lower ribs than is typical for humans, but they lack costotransverse articulations at the second-to-last ribs. The thoracolumbar transition in the Sterkfontein hominins is like that of all other early hominins, with a facet transition occurring at the second to last rib-bearing level, rather than the last rib-bearing level as seen in extant humans and great apes. Overall, the Sterkfontein hominins displays rib and vertebral morphologies that among primates are only regularly seen in humans and are associated with habitually orthograde posture.
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10

Lague, Michael R., and Colin G. Menter. "Distal humerus." In Hominin Postcranial Remains from Sterkfontein, South Africa, 1936-1995. Oxford University Press, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780197507667.003.0006.

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Anatomical descriptions are presented for six distal humeri from Sterkfontein. These fossil specimens, and one humerus from Makapansgat, are compared to those of extant hominids and a variety of fossil hominins using geometric morphometric data from a transverse section through the distal diaphysis. Principal components analysis is used to summarize morphometric affinities among specimens. Procrustes distances are used to measure shape dissimilarity between pairs, and total sample variation is quantified as the sum of squared distances (SSD) of pairwise Procrustes. Bootstrap resampling of SSD is used to evaluate the possibility of taxonomic heterogeneity in the Sterkfontein assemblage. Humeral variation at Sterkfontein/Makapansgat reflects three distinct groups, one of which resembles Homo erectus (Stw 150, 182), one of which resembles Australopithecus sediba (Stw 339, MLD 14), and one of which resembles non-sediba australopiths (Stw 38, Stw 124, Stw 431c). Based on variation within extant species, we cannot reject the null hypothesis that the Sterkfontein specimens are conspecific. On the other hand, Sterkfontein SSD is significantly high with reference to a mixed-species sample of australopiths from across Africa. On balance, we suggest that only those specimens in the last group (non-sediba autralopiths) should be attributed to A. africanus.
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