Exploring Hoogland, Haasgat and the Plio-Pleistocene landscape of the Schurveberg Mountain Region, South Africa

Grand Valley State University, Allendale MI

Investigators

Abstract

Interpreting the environments and mammal species in South Africa during the Plio-Pleistocene, including primate and human lineages, relies on a detailed understanding of the physical setting of deposition (cave geology), the distribution of mammals and environments on the landscape (paleobiology and paleoecology), and the process of converting biological materials into fossils (taphonomy). Current interpretations of the South African fossil record are largely based on deposits from the low-relief, geographically-proximate Blauubank Valley sites. However, recent research outside Blauubank has highlighted both greater biological variation in mammal communities and in geologic and taphonomic processes, warranting further excavation and analysis of novel deposits to guide our broader interpretations of the South African fossil record. This project makes a significant contribution towards understanding the factors underlying interpretations of the South Africa fossil record through two primary objectives. First, through excavation of deposits at the Hoogland and Haasgat cave systems located in the topographically high-relief Schurveberg Mountains. This represents the first comprehensive analysis of the geology of the 2-3 million year old deposits in this poorly sampled geographic region, and the animal species occupying this landscape during a critical phase in the development of modern mammal and vegetative communities. Second, systematic survey and sampling of paleontologic deposits across the Schurvebergs and transitional foothills will establish the geological and paleoecological history in this region, and be combined with data from Hoogland, Haasgat, and other South African localities to provide comprehensive interpretation of the South African fossil record. This interdisciplinary research project makes a broader impact by training South African team members in paleontological research methods that will allow them to advance as independent scholars. Our project invests in local scientific infrastructure by expanding and modernizing paleontology laboratories at the Transvaal Museum (Pretoria), impacting current and future South African and international paleontological research. Furthermore, the general South African public will be reached through an exhibition of excavated fossils at the Transvaal Museum, highlighting the importance of local paleontology in understanding past environments and human origins.