Boomplaas Cave (Member GWA)
Basic information
Sample name: Boomplaas Cave (Member GWA)
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: 5
Unit order: above to below
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 GWA member of the deposit has been radiocarbon dated to 17,830 ± 180 BP (20,507–21,751 cal. BP).
The GWA member of the deposit has been radiocarbon dated to 17,830 ± 180 BP (20,507–21,751 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: carnivores,rodents,ungulates,other large mammals,other small mammals
Sampling methods: quarry
Sample size: 85 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: 4086
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Created: 2023-02-23 13:10:46
Modified: 2023-05-30 04:56:58
Abundance distribution
13 species
7 singletons
total count 85
geometric series index: 35.4
Fisher's α: 4.279
geometric series k: 0.7492
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.7315
Shannon's H: 1.6948
Good's u: 0.9179
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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| Bunolagus monticularis | 1 | |
| Caracal caracal | 1 | 12 kg carnivore |
| "Felis cf caracal" | ||
| Procavia capensis | 32 | 2.8 kg browser |
| Equus capensis | 1 | |
| Equus sp. | 28 | |
| zebra/quagga | ||
| Taurotragus oryx | 5 | 393 kg browser-grazer |
| Hippotragus leucophaeus | 1 | |
| also 1 Hippotragus sp. | ||
| Redunca sp. | 1 | |
| Damaliscus pygargus | 1 | 83 kg grazer-browser |
| "Damaliscus dorcas", also 14 Alcelaphinae indet. | ||
| Caprinae indet. | 8 | |
| an unknown extinct species | ||
| Pelea capreolus | 3 | 16 kg grazer |
| Antidorcas cf. marsupialis | 1 | 40 kg browser-grazer |
| Syncerus caffer | 2 | 548 kg grazer-browser |