Warreen Cave (Stratigraphic Unit 7)
Basic information
Sample name: Warreen Cave (Stratigraphic Unit 7)
Reference: J. Allen. 1996. Warreen Cave. In Report of the Southern Forests Archaeological Project (eds. J. Allen), 1:135-167 [ER 3695]
Geography
Country: Australia
State: Tasmania
Coordinate: 42° 31' 5" S, 145° 54' 50" E
Coordinate basis: estimated from map
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Max Ma: 0.03479
Min Ma: 0.03021
Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)
Geography comments: "Warreen Cave is c. 30 km north and slightly west of Strathgordon", Tasmania.
"It is c. 1.2 km east of the Maxwell River and c. 0.5 km south of one of its tributaries, the Lancelot Rivulet".
Radiocarbon dates for Stratigraphic Unit 7 range from 34,790 ± 510 BP to 30,210 ± 300 BP (base of SU6/7).
Two bones from this layer were similarly dated to 31,660 ± 250 BP and 30,610 ± 350 BP (Cosgrove et al. 2010).
"It is c. 1.2 km east of the Maxwell River and c. 0.5 km south of one of its tributaries, the Lancelot Rivulet".
Radiocarbon dates for Stratigraphic Unit 7 range from 34,790 ± 510 BP to 30,210 ± 300 BP (base of SU6/7).
Two bones from this layer were similarly dated to 31,660 ± 250 BP and 30,610 ± 350 BP (Cosgrove et al. 2010).
Environment
Lithology: limestone
Taphonomic context: cave,rock shelter
Archaeology: stone tools
Habitat comments: "Warreen is a dolomite cave in an exposed bluff at the northern end of a north-south trending low ridge, 20-30 m above the valley floor. It is estimated to be c. 230 m a.s.l.".
Stratigraphic Unit 7 consists of yellow-coloured clay sediments.
"The deposit contains many small angular limestone fragments and is more compact than any other unit".
Stone artefacts are present in this unit, albeit at comparatively low densities.
Stratigraphic Unit 7 consists of yellow-coloured clay sediments.
"The deposit contains many small angular limestone fragments and is more compact than any other unit".
Stone artefacts are present in this unit, albeit at comparatively low densities.
Methods
Life forms: rodents,other large mammals,other small mammals,birds
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 167 specimens
Years: 1990
Sampling comments: Warreen Cave was first excavated in 1986, where a "50 x 50 cm test pit was excavated some 90 cm below the surface" (Square A).
In 1990, a second excavation was conducted which extended the 1986 pit, as well as excavate an adjacent pit (Square B).
"When the excavation of Square B reached the 1986 excavated level of Square A, the two squares were taken down in rotation".
"Square A was excavated in 5 cm deep spits, rather than the 2.5 cm deep spits used in Square B, and sieved using 7 mm mesh".
"From the level of Square A, Excavation Unit 8 onwards, the more stringent recovery methods of using 2.5 cm spits and 7 mm, 3 mm and 1 mm mesh sieves, applied throughout to Square B, were also used in Square A".
Material from Stratigraphic Unit 7, which includes the lowermost excavated units (17-19), was excavated from "a single area covering parts of both squares, but was predominantly from Square A".
The counts below are of the faunal remains found in Square A of SU7, as presented in Table 6 of Cosgrove et al. (2010).
In 1990, a second excavation was conducted which extended the 1986 pit, as well as excavate an adjacent pit (Square B).
"When the excavation of Square B reached the 1986 excavated level of Square A, the two squares were taken down in rotation".
"Square A was excavated in 5 cm deep spits, rather than the 2.5 cm deep spits used in Square B, and sieved using 7 mm mesh".
"From the level of Square A, Excavation Unit 8 onwards, the more stringent recovery methods of using 2.5 cm spits and 7 mm, 3 mm and 1 mm mesh sieves, applied throughout to Square B, were also used in Square A".
Material from Stratigraphic Unit 7, which includes the lowermost excavated units (17-19), was excavated from "a single area covering parts of both squares, but was predominantly from Square A".
The counts below are of the faunal remains found in Square A of SU7, as presented in Table 6 of Cosgrove et al. (2010).
Metadata
Sample number: 3882
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2022-02-07 14:34:48
Modified: 2022-02-07 03:40:04
Abundance distribution
8 species
0 singletons
total count 167
extrapolated richness: 9.2
Fisher's α: 1.751
geometric series k: 0.6095
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.7683
Shannon's H: 1.7028
Good's u: 1.0000
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| Antechinus sp. | 7 | |
| Aves indet. | 10 | |
| Cercartetus nanus | 8 | 18.9 g |
| Dasyurus viverrinus | 34 | |
| Notamacropus rufogriseus | 27 | 14 kg |
| "Macropus rufogriseus" - also 13 Macropodidae indet. | ||
| Mastacomys fuscus | 64 | |
| also 187 Rodentia indet. | ||
| Pseudocheirus peregrinus | 2 | |
| Vombatus ursinus | 15 | 29 kg |
| also 537 Mammalia indet. | ||