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

青藏高原上更新世人科古生物研究 过去四十年来， 化石和手工艺品的照片 所有五 在南部非洲发现了已知的南方古猿遗址 在1924年至1948年之间，没有发现新的地点， 四十年 为了了解早期原始人的进化历程 发展超越东非的代表， 为了更精确地了解时间关系， 至关重要的是， 发现于非洲南部。 上更新世沉积 南部非洲以角砾岩填充的洞穴为代表， 德兰士瓦系的石灰岩 这样做的目的 该项目是进行系统的，探索性的调查， 沿着德兰士瓦系的东部悬崖露头， 含矿角砾岩洞穴，并确定未来的地点， 长期挖掘。 找到这样一个有价值的 地点可能不高，但对人类学的极端价值，如果 这样一个网站被发现，使这种探索是最值得的 风险

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.