Titan’s Shelter (Site G2)
Basic information
Sample name: Titan’s Shelter (Site G2)
Reference: R. Cosgrove, J. Field, J. Garvey, J. Brenner-Coltrain, A. Goede, B. Charles, S. Wroe, A. Pike-Tay, R. Grün, M. Aubert, W. Lees, and J. O'Connell. 2010. Overdone overkill - the archaeological perspective on Tasmanian megafaunal extinctions. Journal of Archaeological Science 37(10):2486-2503 [ER 3696]
Geography
Country: Australia
State: Tasmania
Coordinate: 42° 34' 57" S, 146° 28' 9" E
Coordinate basis: stated in text
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Section: 3696
Unit number: 2
Unit order: above to below
Min Ma: 0.053
Age basis: other
Geography comments: "Titan's Shelter is located just below the crest of a limestone hill at 400 m elevation within the Florentine River valley, 23 km northwest of Maydena, Tasmania".
There are two ESR dates of 51,000 ± 3000 BP and 55,000 ± 3000 BP from a M. giganteus titan molar from Square G3, Layer 1. It dates Square G2, Layer 1 by stratigraphic association, providing a best estimate (and likely minimum) age of 53,000 ± 4000 BP for the Square G2 deposit.
There are two ESR dates of 51,000 ± 3000 BP and 55,000 ± 3000 BP from a M. giganteus titan molar from Square G3, Layer 1. It dates Square G2, Layer 1 by stratigraphic association, providing a best estimate (and likely minimum) age of 53,000 ± 4000 BP for the Square G2 deposit.
Environment
Lithology: limestone
Taphonomic context: carnivore accumulation,cave
Habitat comments: "The cave has developed in a well-bedded Ordovician limestone".
"The G2 square was located under a lintel of flowstone and consisted of three main layers".
"Layer 1 consisted of a friable, unconsolidated brown cave earth. Layer 2 was a dark, yellowish brown, silty clay soil containing abundant and highly fragmented bone in an unconsolidated matrix, and Layer 3 was a slightly more consolidated silty clay layer with some charcoal but fewer bone fragments".
"The G2 square was located under a lintel of flowstone and consisted of three main layers".
"Layer 1 consisted of a friable, unconsolidated brown cave earth. Layer 2 was a dark, yellowish brown, silty clay soil containing abundant and highly fragmented bone in an unconsolidated matrix, and Layer 3 was a slightly more consolidated silty clay layer with some charcoal but fewer bone fragments".
Methods
Life forms: rodents,other large mammals,other small mammals,birds
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 233 specimens
Years: 2004 - 2007
Sampling comments: "Systematic excavation was undertaken between 2004 and 2007 at Goede and Murray’s (1979) Site G".
"Two new excavations designated G2 and G3 were located to the northwest and southeast of the original pit. The G2 square was 50 cm × 50 cm. The excavation proceeded in 5 cm spits to a depth of c. 90 cm".
"Bones from G2 were collected from 7 mm and 3 mm sieves".
"Two new excavations designated G2 and G3 were located to the northwest and southeast of the original pit. The G2 square was 50 cm × 50 cm. The excavation proceeded in 5 cm spits to a depth of c. 90 cm".
"Bones from G2 were collected from 7 mm and 3 mm sieves".
Metadata
Sample number: 3883
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2022-02-08 15:55:54
Modified: 2023-04-29 05:38:47
Abundance distribution
19 species
4 singletons
total count 233
geometric series index: 30.3
Fisher's α: 4.891
geometric series k: 0.7747
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.7782
Shannon's H: 2.0548
Good's u: 0.9829
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| Thylacoleo carnifex | 1 | |
| Simosthenurus sp. | 5 | |
| Macropus titan | 12 | |
| Macropus giganteus | 24 | 38 kg grazer |
| Notamacropus rufogriseus | 99 | 14 kg |
| "Macropus rufogriseus" - also 106 Macropodidae indet. | ||
| Thylogale billardierii | 10 | 5.1 kg |
| Vombatus ursinus | 3 | 29 kg |
| Dasyurus viverrinus | 20 | |
| Dasyurus maculatus | 3 | |
| Sarcophilus harrisii | 9 | 7.5 kg |
| Sarcophilus laniarius | 5 | |
| Thylacinus cynocephalus | 3 | |
| Pseudocheirus peregrinus | 2 | |
| Potorous tridactylus | 1 | 731 g |
| Mastacomys fuscus | 28 | |
| Pseudomys higginsi | 1 | |
| also 9 Rodentia indet. | ||
| Antechinus sp. | 2 | |
| Ornithorhynchus anatinus | 1 | |
| Aves indet. | 4 | |