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Geological and taphonomic context for the new hominin species Homo naledi from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa
Journal article

Geological and taphonomic context for the new hominin species Homo naledi from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa

  • Dirks, Paul HGM Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Berger, Lee R Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Roberts, Eric M Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Kramers, Jan D Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Hawks, John Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
  • Randolph-Quinney, Patrick S School of Anatomical Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Elliott, Marina Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
  • Musiba, Charles M Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, United States
  • Churchill, Steven E Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, United States
  • de Ruiter, Darryl J Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States
  • Schmid, Peter Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
  • Backwell, Lucinda R Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Belyanin, Georgy A Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Boshoff, Pedro Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
  • Hunter, K Lindsay Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Feuerriegel, Elen M Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Gurtov, Alia Department of Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
  • Harrison, James du G School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Hunter, Rick Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Kruger, Ashley Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Morris, Hannah Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Makhubela, Tebogo V Department of Geology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Peixotto, Becca Department of Anthropology, American University, Washington DC, United States
  • Tucker, Steven Evolutionary Studies Institute, National Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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  • 2015-9-10
Published in:
  • eLife. - eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd. - 2015, vol. 4
English We describe the physical context of the Dinaledi Chamber within the Rising Star cave, South Africa, which contains the fossils of Homo naledi. Approximately 1550 specimens of hominin remains have been recovered from at least 15 individuals, representing a small portion of the total fossil content. Macro-vertebrate fossils are exclusively H. naledi, and occur within clay-rich sediments derived from in situ weathering, and exogenous clay and silt, which entered the chamber through fractures that prevented passage of coarser-grained material. The chamber was always in the dark zone, and not accessible to non-hominins. Bone taphonomy indicates that hominin individuals reached the chamber complete, with disarticulation occurring during/after deposition. Hominins accumulated over time as older laminated mudstone units and sediment along the cave floor were eroded. Preliminary evidence is consistent with deliberate body disposal in a single location, by a hominin species other than Homo sapiens, at an as-yet unknown date.
Language
  • English
Open access status
gold
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/global/documents/82272
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