SGER: Exploration for Plio-Pleistocene Hominid Sites in South Africa

在过去的40年里，对上更新世古人类古生物学的研究主要集中在东非遗址的化石和文物的勘探和回收上。南部非洲所有五个已知的南方古猿遗址都是在1924年至1948年之间发现的；40多年来一直没有发现新的地点。为了了解东非以外的早期原始人的发展过程，以及为了更准确地了解年代关系，在南部非洲发现更多的化石地点是至关重要的。南部非洲的上更新世沉积以德兰士瓦系统石灰岩中充满角砾岩的洞穴为代表。该项目的目的是对德兰士瓦系统东部悬崖的露头进行系统的探索性调查，以寻找含有化石的角砾岩洞穴，并确定未来长期挖掘的地点。找到这样一个有价值的地点的机会可能不高，但如果发现这样一个地点，对人类学来说是极端的价值，这使得这次探索是最值得冒险的。

Research in Plio-Pleistocene hominid paleontology over the past four decades has focused largely on exploration and recovery of fossils and artifacts from sites in East Africa. All five known australopithecine sites in southern Africa were discovered between 1924 and 1948; no new locality has been found in over forty years. In order to appreciate the course of early hominid development beyond that represented in East Africa, and in order to gain a more precise picture of chronological relationships, it is critical that additional fossiliferous localities be discovered in southern Africa. Plio-Pleistocene sediments in southern Africa are represented by breccia-filled caves within the limestones of the Transvaal System. The purpose of this project is to undertake a systematic, exploratory survey of the outcrops along the eastern escarpment of the Transvaal System for fossiliferous breccia caves, and to identify sites for future, long-term excavation. The chances of finding such a rewarding site may not be high, but the extreme value to anthropology if such a site is found makes this exploration a most worthwhile risk.