Kudjal Yolgah Cave (Unit 7)
Basic information
Sample name: Kudjal Yolgah Cave (Unit 7)
Reference: N. R. Jankowski, G. A. Gully, Z. Jacobs, R. G. Roberts, and G. J. Prideaux. 2016. A late Quaternary vertebrate deposit in Kudjal Yolgah Cave, south-western Australia: refining regional late Pleistocene extinctions. Journal of Quaternary Science 31(5):538-550 [ER 3721]
Geography
Country: Australia
State: Western Australia
Coordinate: 34° 59' 24" S, 115° 3' 0" E
Coordinate basis: stated in text
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Section: 3721
Unit number: 3
Unit order: above to below
Max Ma: 0.0805
Min Ma: 0.0414
Age basis: OSL
Geography comments: "Kudjal Yolgah Cave (KYC) is situated in the Leeuwin–Naturaliste National Park, 5 km southwest of Forest Grove", in southwest Western Australia.
"It lies within a Pleistocene-age limestone ridge that stretches from Cape Naturaliste in the north to Cape Leeuwin in the south".
Eight single-grain OSL ages indicate Unit 7 was deposited between 80.5 ± 5 ka and 41.4 ± 1.9 ka
"It lies within a Pleistocene-age limestone ridge that stretches from Cape Naturaliste in the north to Cape Leeuwin in the south".
Eight single-grain OSL ages indicate Unit 7 was deposited between 80.5 ± 5 ka and 41.4 ± 1.9 ka
Environment
Lithology: sandstone
Taphonomic context: pitfall trap
Habitat comments: "Seven units were recognized during the 2008 excavations, based on sedimentary colour, texture, compactness and unconformities; Unit 1 is stratigraphically the highest and Unit 7 the lowest. All units are composed of highly friable, medium to very coarse sands with predominantly rounded grains, with subtle gradation in sediment colour (orange–brown) seen in Unit 7".
Fauna and sediments were deposited via an overhead solution pipe. Unit 7 likely accumulated after the floor of the upper chamber collapsed into the underlying chamber, unblocking the solution pipe. Lithological and chronological evidence suggests that sediment accumulation began around 80 ka ago and terminated with blockage of the solution pipe around 40 ka ago".
Fauna and sediments were deposited via an overhead solution pipe. Unit 7 likely accumulated after the floor of the upper chamber collapsed into the underlying chamber, unblocking the solution pipe. Lithological and chronological evidence suggests that sediment accumulation began around 80 ka ago and terminated with blockage of the solution pipe around 40 ka ago".
Methods
Life forms: rodents,other large mammals,other small mammals,birds
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 209 specimens
Years: 2008
Sampling comments: "Systematic excavations at KYC were conducted by a team from Flinders University in January, September and October 2008. The excavation area was divided into North and South Pits. Each pit was partitioned into around 1 m2 quadrants".
"Excavated sediment was removed from the cave for sieving with a 1.5-mm sieve to recover small bones, teeth and snail shells". Wet sieving was only carried out on sediments excavated during the January 2008 field season as a means of obtaining higher yields of small animal remains; this was discontinued after it was established that very few small animal remains were preserved in the sediments".
"All fossils excavated were registered with the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Western Australia Museum", where the specimen counts below were obtained by the sample enterer during a visit in July 2022.
"Excavated sediment was removed from the cave for sieving with a 1.5-mm sieve to recover small bones, teeth and snail shells". Wet sieving was only carried out on sediments excavated during the January 2008 field season as a means of obtaining higher yields of small animal remains; this was discontinued after it was established that very few small animal remains were preserved in the sediments".
"All fossils excavated were registered with the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Western Australia Museum", where the specimen counts below were obtained by the sample enterer during a visit in July 2022.
Metadata
Sample number: 3952
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2022-07-27 11:22:08
Modified: 2023-05-30 01:03:51
Abundance distribution
17 species
4 singletons
total count 209
geometric series index: 29.6
Fisher's α: 4.373
geometric series k: 0.7559
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.7577
Shannon's H: 1.8667
Good's u: 0.9810
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| Thylacinus cynocephalus | 3 | |
| Dasyurus geoffroii | 1 | |
| also 1 Dasyurus sp. and 1 Dasyuridae indet. | ||
| Isoodon obesulus | 2 | 1.0 kg |
| Perameles bougainville | 3 | |
| Trichosurus vulpecula | 3 | 2.1 kg folivore |
| Bettongia lesueur | 2 | |
| Macropus fuliginosus | 88 | 40 kg grazer-browser |
| 4 Macropodidae indet. | ||
| Notamacropus irma | 25 | |
| Setonix brachyurus | 17 | 2.7 kg |
| Notomys sp. | 1 | |
| likely N. mitchellii - also 7 Rodentia indet. | ||
| Phascolarctos cinereus | 1 | 9.1 kg |
| Vombatus hacketti | 2 | |
| Thylacoleo carnifex | 4 | |
| Protemnodon sp. | 11 | |
| possibly P. roechus | ||
| Procoptodon browneorum | 41 | |
| Simosthenurus occidentalis | 4 | |
| 5 Sthenurinae indet. | ||
| Dromaius novaehollandiae | 1 | 32 kg insectivore-omnivore |