Kromdraai fossil site

Infobox_protected_area | name = Kromdraai Fossil Site, Cradle of Humankind


caption = Map of South Africa
locator_x = 195
locator_y = 98
location = Gauteng, South Africa
nearest_city = Krugersdorp, South Africa
lat_degrees = 26
lat_minutes = 00
lat_seconds =
lat_direction = S
long_degrees = 27
long_minutes = 45
long_seconds =
long_direction = E
area = less than 100 m
established = Incorporated into the Cradle of Humankind 1999
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body = Cradle of Humankind and Private Landowner

Kromdraai is a fossil-bearing breccia filled cave located about 2km east of the well known South African hominid-bearing site of Sterkfontein and about 45km Northwest of the City of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is situated within the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site.

History of Investigations

In 1938 The site was brought to the attention of Robert Broom by a local schoolboy named Gert Terrblanche who had discovered several hominin teeth. The teeth formed part of a skull that would become the holotype of "Paranthropus robustus". Broom began excavations at the site that would continue until approximately 1947 and would result in the discovery of numerous hominin remains. Two deposits were noted and named at the site - Kromdraai A and Kromdraai B - the latter being the site where the hominin remains were recoveredcite book|title=finding the Missing Link|accessdate=|author=R. Broom|authorlink= |coauthors= |date=1950 |format= |work= |publisher=Watts, London|pages= |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] .

In 1955

In 1980's Elizabeth Vrba briefly conducted excavations at Kromdraai B in order to recover additional samples for her work on South African bovidscite book|title=The Kromdraai Australopithecine site revisted in 1980: recent investigations and results|accessdate=|author=E. Vrba|authorlink= |coauthors= |date=1981 |format= |work= |publisher=Annals of the Transvaal Museum|pages= 17-60 |language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] .

In 1993 excavations were re-opened by Francis Thackeray of the Transvaal Museum and Lee Berger of the University of the Witwatersrand. They were later joined by teams from Harvard University and other collaboratorscite book|title=The renewal of excavation activities at Kromdraai, South Africa|accessdate=|author= L.R. Berger, C. Menter and F. Thackeray|authorlink= |coauthors= |date=1994 |format= |work= |publisher=South African Journal of Science|pages= 209-210|language= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] . Important results of this work have been the recovery of additional hominin fossils as well as the obtaining of more accurate dates for the site.

Recovered Fossils

Besides the holotype specimen of "P. robustus", at the time of the writing of this article 29 hominin specimens had been recovered from Kromdraai B . Many thousands of animal fossils have also been recovered from both Kromdraai A and B.

Age of the Deposits

Kromdraai B is dated to approximately 1.6 - 1.9 mya.

Other Related Links

Hominids

Paranthropus robustus

Cradle of Humankind

List of fossil sites

References