Boomplaas Cave (Member LP)
Basic information
Sample name: Boomplaas Cave (Member LP)
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: 6
Unit order: above to below
Max Ma: 0.02111
Min Ma: 0.01783
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 LP member of the deposit has been constrained by radiocarbon dates to between 21,110 ± 180 BP and 17,830 ± 180 BP (25,824-20,507 cal. BP).
The LP member of the deposit has been constrained by radiocarbon dates to between 21,110 ± 180 BP and 17,830 ± 180 BP (25,824-20,507 cal. BP).
Environment
Lithology: not described
Taphonomic context: bird accumulation,carnivore accumulation,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".
Methods
Life forms: primates,rodents,ungulates,other large mammals,other small mammals
Sampling methods: quarry
Sample size: 69 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: 4087
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2023-02-23 13:14:44
Modified: 2023-05-30 04:56:55
Abundance distribution
15 species
6 singletons
total count 69
geometric series index: 37.8
Fisher's α: 5.904
geometric series k: 0.7969
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.7777
Shannon's H: 1.9629
Good's u: 0.9151
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| Lepus capensis | 1 | |
| also 3 Leporidae indet. | ||
| Papio ursinus | 2 | 20 kg |
| Procavia capensis | 20 | 2.8 kg browser |
| Equus capensis | 2 | |
| Equus sp. | 24 | |
| zebra/quagga | ||
| Hippotragus leucophaeus | 2 | |
| Alcelaphus buselaphus | 1 | 143 kg grazer-browser |
| Connochaetes cf. gnou | 1 | grazer |
| Damaliscus pygargus | 1 | 83 kg grazer-browser |
| "Damaliscus dorcas", also 6 Alcelaphinae indet. | ||
| Caprinae indet. | 4 | |
| an unknown extinct species | ||
| Pelea capreolus | 2 | 16 kg grazer |
| Antidorcas cf. marsupialis | 1 | 40 kg browser-grazer |
| Oreotragus oreotragus | 2 | browser-grazer |
| Raphicerus sp. | 1 | |
| Syncerus antiquus | 5 | |