Lesedi/Ifas : The Taphonomy of Australopithecus Sediba of the Malapa Fossil Site

Date de publication:

28 Octobre 2014

Mots-clefs:

blogs
hypotheses.org
blog
Afrique du Sud
archéologie

Publié ici :

28 Octobre 2014

Mis à jour le :

21 Juin 2017

Zone géographique:

Afrique

The discovery of the Malapa fossil site in South Africa constitutes one of the main events of the last decade in palaeoanthropology. The bone remains of two individuals belonging to a species of hominin unknown to date were found there, in a state of preservation never seen before for fossils of that age (close to two million years). A detailed study of the different geological, biological and chemical processes contributing to the fossilisation of these remains makes it possible to understand better how the two skeletons were kept in this remarkable condition. The main results of the study are presented here.

Introduction: The Cradle of Humankind

The region of the Cradle of Humankind, north of Johannesburg, listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, is one of the richest places in the world in terms of fossils of hominins and other animal species. The word hominin refers to all the members of the human family, from the separation of our line with that of the great apes to us, Homo sapiens sapiens. Close to one third of hominin fossils collected to date come from the Cradle of Humankind. Around fifteen fossiliferous deposits have been excavated and/or are still being excavated in this region of just under 47 000 ha. The main sites of the Cradle (Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai and Cooper’s D) on their own have produced several hundreds of hominin fossils and several tens of thousands of fossils of other animals.

The palaeontological assemblies were formed mainly between the end of the Pliocene and the beginning of the Pleistocene, i.e. between 3 to 4 million years and 1,5 to 1 million years BP. The remains of several extinct species, including three species of Australopithecus (Australopithecus africanus, Australopithecus sediba and a third unnamed species, Australopithecus “second species”), a species related to the Australopithecus, Paranthropus robustus, and several representatives of the Homo lineage (Homo habilis and Homo erectus) were collected there (Broom, 1936, 1938, 1947; Robinson, 1953, 1961; Brain, 1981, 1993; de Ruiter et al., 2009; Berger et al., 2010). These fossils were found in association with those of many other animal species, making it possible to document in detail the geomorphological, climatic and environmental context in which our ancestors evolved. As such, various taxa (antelopes, warthogs, carnivores, rodents, reptiles and birds among others), some extinct and others still existing today in South Africa, occupied the region during the Plio-Pleistocene.

The Cradle sites are part of the vast karstic system of the dolomitic caves in Northern Gauteng, and has been known since the end of the 18 century, when limestone was exploited by several South African mining companies in the region. Limestone was one of the materials used in building Johannesburg which, at the time, was in full expansion. It also constituted a key element for the gold industry in that it was used in the purification process of the gold being mined in Gauteng. The first fossil discoveries occurred in Sterkfontein, then in Swartkrans in the 1930s and 1940s. From then on, many scientists showed great interest in the Cradle region where, to date, series of quasi-uninterrupted excavations have been led, revealing the existence of new fossils and deposits on a regular basis (Broom, 1936, 1938, 1947; Keyser et al., 1991, 2000; Berger et al. 1993; Lacruz et al., 2002; Adams et al., 2007; de Ruiter et al., 2009). The existence of Malapa, one of the most prolific sites in the region in terms of hominin fossils, has only been known since 2008. This fossil deposit was discovered by Lee Berger, a lecturer at the Evolutionary Studies Institute of the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, and Job Kibii, a researcher at the same institute, while exploring the region using Google Earth and prospecting on foot. Within the framework of this prospecting programme, close to one hundred new fossiliferous deposits were recorded, including a dozen potentially containing hominin remains (Berger, 2012).

By Aurore Val.

Aurore Val completed a research masters in Biological Anthropology and Prehistory at the University of Bordeaux 1, between 2007 and 2009. She finished her thesis in 2013, focussing on taphonomic remains of Australopithecus found at the Malapa site in South Africa. It was a thesis co-supervised between the Universities of the Witwatersrand and Bordeaux 1, under the direction of Lucinda Backwell, Lee Berger (Wits) and Francesco d’Errico (Bordeaux 1). She is currently a postdoc with Lyn Wadley at the University of Witwatersrand and work on the remains of birds in the Middle Stone Age site of Sibudu in KwaZulu-Natal.

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