Tight Entrance Cave (Unit H)
Basic information
Sample name: Tight Entrance Cave (Unit H)
Reference: G. J. Prideaux, G. A. Gully, A. M. C. Couzens, L. K. Ayliffe, N. R. Jankowski, Z. Jacobs, R. G. Roberts, J. C. Hellstrom, M. K. Gagan, and L. M. Hatcher. 2010. Timing and dynamics of Late Pleistocene mammal extinctions in southwestern Australia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 107(51):22157-22162 [ER 3720]
Geography
Country: Australia
State: Western Australia
Coordinate: 34° 4' S, 115° 1' E
Coordinate basis: stated in text
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Section: 3720
Unit number: 4
Unit order: below to above
Max Ma: 0.037
Min Ma: 0.032
Age basis: OSL
Geography comments: "Tight Entrance Cave (TEC) lies in the Leeuwin–Naturaliste Region, in southwestern Western Australia".
"The chronology of the TEC faunal succession was established via uranium-series, optically stimulated luminescence, and radiocarbon dating of samples excavated from a 21 square metre by 1.8 metre deep pit".
Unit H dates from 37 ± 1 ka to 32 ± 3 ka.
"The chronology of the TEC faunal succession was established via uranium-series, optically stimulated luminescence, and radiocarbon dating of samples excavated from a 21 square metre by 1.8 metre deep pit".
Unit H dates from 37 ± 1 ka to 32 ± 3 ka.
Environment
Lithology: sandstone
Taphonomic context: pitfall trap
Habitat comments: Tight Entrance Cave occurs within the Tamala Limestone, a coarse to medium-grained aeolian calcarenite".
"The ten superposed strata are composed predominantly of ‘clean’ quartz sands. Most units are separated by marker layers composed of moonmilk and limestone clasts, which accumulated as a slow ‘rain’ from the ceiling during hiatuses in sediment infilling".
"Most animals in the deposit were evidently pitfall victims, falling in alongside sediments and charcoal that were washed in via now-blocked solution pipes, although tooth marks on some bones suggest that carnivores played a minor accumulating role".
"The ten superposed strata are composed predominantly of ‘clean’ quartz sands. Most units are separated by marker layers composed of moonmilk and limestone clasts, which accumulated as a slow ‘rain’ from the ceiling during hiatuses in sediment infilling".
"Most animals in the deposit were evidently pitfall victims, falling in alongside sediments and charcoal that were washed in via now-blocked solution pipes, although tooth marks on some bones suggest that carnivores played a minor accumulating role".
Methods
Life forms: rodents,other large mammals,other small mammals
Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash
Sample size: 137 specimens
Years: 1996-2008
Sampling comments: "The Prideaux-Flinders University excavation commenced in January–February 1996. The excavation area was divided into a series of variably sized grids, with excavation proceeding according to unit using standard paleontological methods. Excavated sediment was sieved and resultant residues of small vertebrate remains then dried and sorted (picked) for taxonomically identifiable remains. Larger bones were cleaned, dried and stabilized with polyvinyl butyrate dissolved in acetone".
Prideaux et al. (2010) did not report the number of identified specimens. The counts below were obtained by the sample enterer during a July 2022 visit to the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Western Australian Museum, where the specimens were reposited. Note: there is at least one thylacine specimen present from this unit, although it could not be located at the museum.
Prideaux et al. (2010) did not report the number of identified specimens. The counts below were obtained by the sample enterer during a July 2022 visit to the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Western Australian Museum, where the specimens were reposited. Note: there is at least one thylacine specimen present from this unit, although it could not be located at the museum.
Metadata
Sample number: 3948
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2022-07-21 16:13:54
Modified: 2023-05-30 01:01:28
Abundance distribution
13 species
2 singletons
total count 137
geometric series index: 18.5
Fisher's α: 3.528
geometric series k: 0.7324
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.8302
Shannon's H: 2.0766
Good's u: 0.9855
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| Bettongia lesueur | 6 | |
| also 2 Bettongia sp. | ||
| Potorous gilbertii | 21 | |
| also 1 Potorous sp. and 1 Potoroidae indet. | ||
| Macropus fuliginosus | 7 | 40 kg grazer-browser |
| Notamacropus irma | 10 | |
| also 2 Notamacropus sp. and various Macropodidae indet. | ||
| Isoodon obesulus | 2 | 1.0 kg |
| Perameles bougainville | 3 | |
| also 2 Perameles sp. | ||
| Trichosurus vulpecula | 9 | 2.1 kg folivore |
| Setonix brachyurus | 42 | 2.7 kg |
| Dasyurus geoffroii | 4 | |
| also 1 Dasyurus sp. | ||
| Sarcophilus harrisii | 1 | 7.5 kg |
| Rattus fuscipes | 6 | |
| Notomys sp. | 1 | |
| also various Rodentia indet. | ||
| Pseudocheirus occidentalis | 25 | |