An overview of the geology of paleoanthropological and archaeological sites of South Africa

Abstract

Paleoanthropological and archaeological remains in South Africa are found in various sites formed in diverse environments of caves, rock shelters and open-air settings. These sites contain deposits dating back mainly to the Quaternary, but also extending back into the late Pliocene. The Cradle of Humankind (Cradle) is the main locality of the Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has 15 sites that have preserved fossils belonging to several hominin species that lived during the late Pliocene and Pleistocene times. Sites in the Cradle were developed in continuously evolving cave systems due to lithological differences and tectonic processes that promote and control the dissolution of the Late Archean-Early Proterozoic dolostone host bedrock. Thus, the deposits in the caves have complex and intermittent stratigraphy, difficult to resolve even with advanced dating techniques. Outside the Cradle, there are innumerable sites with deposits that mostly date later than the Early Pleistocene. Thus, these sites have preserved paleoanthropological and archaeological remains associated with archaic humans and Homo sapiens . Here we provide an overview of the stratigraphy and timescales of six sites in the Cradle and twenty sites outside the Cradle to highlight the differences between the sites, their importance and need for further research at those sites.