Lancefield Swamp (Peel Trench, Mayne Site - 2004-2005 excavations)
Basic information
Sample name: Lancefield Swamp (Peel Trench, Mayne Site - 2004-2005 excavations)
Reference: J. Dortch, M. Cupper, R. Grün, B. Harpley, K. Lee, and J. Field. 2016. The timing and cause of megafauna mass deaths at Lancefield Swamp, south-eastern Australia. Quaternary Science Reviews 145:161-182 [ER 3693]
Geography
Country: Australia
State: Victoria
Coordinate: 37° 17' S, 144° 43' E
Coordinate basis: stated in text
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Max Ma: 0.0729
Min Ma: 0.0311
Age basis: OSL
Geography comments: "Lancefield Swamp is a spring-fed swamp adjacent to the small town of Lancefield, in southern-central Victoria, Australia".
"The swamp is located on a 10 km wide shallow basalt plain in the upper catchment of the Maribyrnong Basin at 500 m asl".
A single OSL date from the bone bed of the Peel Trench at the Mayne site yielded a minimum age of 31.1 ± 2.9 ka BP. The underlying unit was dated to 72.9 ± 12.6 ka BP.
"The swamp is located on a 10 km wide shallow basalt plain in the upper catchment of the Maribyrnong Basin at 500 m asl".
A single OSL date from the bone bed of the Peel Trench at the Mayne site yielded a minimum age of 31.1 ± 2.9 ka BP. The underlying unit was dated to 72.9 ± 12.6 ka BP.
Environment
Lithology: siliciclastic (mixed)
Taphonomic context: lake deposit
Habitat comments: "The swamp features two depressions, one each at the western and eastern ends".
"The western depression is known as the Classic Site and the eastern depression as the Mayne Site".
The bone beds consist of mottled or speckled clay with >5% gravel. The sediment is unconsolidated and contains a dense, interlocking matrix of bones".
Taphonomic analysis indicates the faunal remains "represent an accumulation of multiple waterhole death events, impacted by some carnivore activity, with isolated areas of channel cutting and filling".
"The western depression is known as the Classic Site and the eastern depression as the Mayne Site".
The bone beds consist of mottled or speckled clay with >5% gravel. The sediment is unconsolidated and contains a dense, interlocking matrix of bones".
Taphonomic analysis indicates the faunal remains "represent an accumulation of multiple waterhole death events, impacted by some carnivore activity, with isolated areas of channel cutting and filling".
Methods
Life forms: other large mammals,other small mammals,birds
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 320 specimens
Years: 2004, 2005
Sampling comments: "Systematic excavation involved extending the Classic and Mayne Site trenches".
"In the Mayne Site ... in the area excavated by Peel (2001), all back fill was removed by hand and systematically excavated across ∼4 m2 north of the excavation trench.
"All sediment was wet-sieved through 3 and 5 mm mesh screens".
"In the Mayne Site ... in the area excavated by Peel (2001), all back fill was removed by hand and systematically excavated across ∼4 m2 north of the excavation trench.
"All sediment was wet-sieved through 3 and 5 mm mesh screens".
Metadata
Sample number: 3880
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2022-02-03 17:30:25
Modified: 2022-02-03 23:54:03
Abundance distribution
12 species
5 singletons
total count 320
geometric series index: 23.7
Fisher's α: 2.461
geometric series k: 0.6104
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.4727
Shannon's H: 1.1053
Good's u: 0.9844
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| Dromaius novaehollandiae | 1 | 32 kg insectivore-omnivore |
| Chenonetta jubata | 1 | 815 g |
| Tribonyx mortierii | 1 | |
| "Gallinula mortierii" | ||
| Vombatus sp. | 1 | |
| Propleopus sp. | 2 | |
| †Macropus titan | 228 | |
| "Macropus giganteus titan" | ||
| Notamacropus sp. | 16 | |
| Osphranter sp. | 6 | |
| also 1743 Macropodinae indet. | ||
| Protemnodon sp. | 26 | |
| Sthenurus sp. | 9 | |
| †Diprotodon optatum | 28 | |
| also 2 Diprotodon sp. | ||
| †Zygomaturus trilobus | 1 | |
| also 21 Diprotodontidae indet. | ||