Boomplaas Cave (Member CL)
Basic information
Sample name: Boomplaas Cave (Member CL)

Reference: J. T. Faith. 2013. Taphonomic and paleoecological change in the large mammal sequence from Boomplaas Cave, western Cape, South Africa. Journal of Human Evolution 65(6):715-730 [ER 3779]
Geography
Country: South Africa

State: Western Cape


Coordinate: 33° 22' 14" S, 22° 9' 31" E
Coordinate basis: stated in text

Time interval: Late Pleistocene

Section: 3779

Unit number: 4

Unit order: above to below

Max Ma: 0.0142

Min Ma: 0.01206

Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)

Geography comments: "Boomplaas Cave is located in the Cango Valley in the foothills of the Swartberg mountain range, north of Oudtshoorn, Eden District Municipality in the Western Cape Province, South Africa".
The CL member of the deposit has been radiocarbon dated to between 14,200 ± 240 BP and 12,060 ± 105 BP (17,881–13,668 cal. BP).

Environment
Lithology: not described

Taphonomic context: cave,human accumulation

Archaeology: stone tools

Habitat comments: "Boomplaas Cave contains a stratified sequence of Middle Stone Age (MSA) and Late Stone Age (LSA) deposits spanning the last 65,000 years. People were the primary accumulators of the faunal remains in the LSA assemblages younger than ∼18,000 years ago (CL to BLD). In the LSA and MSA deposits dating from 18,000 to 50,000 years ago (BOL to GWA), a combination of humans, carnivores, and raptors accumulated the faunal remains, while the lowermost units were accumulated by carnivores and raptors".
The artifacts associated with the CL Member are classified within the Robberg industry, characterized by high numbers of bladelets and small conical cores.

Methods
Life forms: carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates,other large mammals,other small mammals

Sampling methods: quarry

Sample size: 1192 specimens

Sampled by: H. J. Deacon

Years: 1974 - 1979

Sampling comments: "Excavations were conducted by H.J. Deacon from 1974 to 1979. In 2009 and 2010, taphonomic and taxonomic data were collected on thousands of previously unsorted specimens, in addition to those previously examined. All MSA and LSA units were examined with the exception of the uppermost pastoralist levels (member DGL)".

Metadata
Sample number: 4085

Contributor: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2023-02-23 13:07:10

Modified: 2023-05-30 04:57:01

Abundance distribution
23 species
2 singletons
total count 1192
geometric series index: 29.3
Fisher's α: 4.042
geometric series k: 0.7600
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.7730
Shannon's H: 1.8832
Good's u: 0.9983
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
Register
Lepus capensis9
Bunolagus monticularis41
also 18 Leporidae indet.
Hystrix africaeaustralis415 kg browser
Papio ursinus1920 kg
Canis cf. mesomelas17.9 kg carnivore
Herpestes pulverulentus1787 g
Caracal caracal212 kg carnivore
"Felis cf caracal"
Procavia capensis2932.8 kg browser
Equus capensis15
Equus sp.419
zebra/quagga
Suidae indet.2
Taurotragus oryx55393 kg browser-grazer
also 15 Tragelaphini indet.
Hippotragus leucophaeus11
Hippotragus equinus5246 kg grazer
also 15 Hippotragus sp.
Redunca fulvorufula429 kg
also 4 Redunca sp.
Alcelaphinae indet.11
"Connochaetes/Alcelaphus"
Caprinae indet.233
an unknown extinct species
Pelea capreolus1716 kg grazer
Antidorcas cf. marsupialis440 kg browser-grazer
Oreotragus oreotragus17 browser-grazer
Raphicerus sp.14
also 17 Neotragini indet.
Syncerus antiquus4
Syncerus caffer11548 kg grazer-browser
also 2 Syncerus sp.