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Rising Star Cave

Coordinates: 25°55′S 27°47′E / 25.917°S 27.783°E / -25.917; 27.783
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25°55′S 27°47′E / 25.917°S 27.783°E / -25.917; 27.783 Rising Star Cave is located in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site near Krugersdorp in South Africa. It became notable in October 2013 for the more than 1200 hominid fossil elements recovered and catalogued from November 7 to November 28, 2013,[1] representing at least a dozen individuals.[2] Only 20 out of 206 bones in the human body were not found in the cave as of Summer, 2014.[3] By April 2014, between two localities, 1724 specimens were recovered.[4] The exploration of the cave was unusual for the media interest it generated, for its real-time coverage in the social media such as Twitter and YouTube, and for the large number of international palaeontologists, anthropologists and archaeologists who converged on the site. The work was jointly sponsored by Witwatersrand University and the National Geographic Society, and though at its launch the project was geared to the recovery of a single skeleton, it soon became apparent that decades of work lay ahead.

The site and its fossils was discovered on 13 September 2013 by two cavers, Steve Tucker and Rick Hunter, as part of an exploration organised by geologist Pedro Boshoff. Lee Berger, who subsequently became the project leader, was first notified on 1 October 2013 about the find. Berger then arranged funding for the expedition which commenced on 7 November. The rich lode of ancient hominid fossils came from a chamber called UW-101 some 30 metres below the surface, and accessible with difficulty through a long, narrow crack about 18 cm wide. The work of retrieving the fossils was carried out over a period of 3 weeks by a team of 6 female researchers, K. Lindsay Eaves, Marina Elliott, Elen Feuerriegel, Alia Gurtov, Hannah Morris, and Becca Peixotto, chosen for their slight build, paleoanthropological expertise, and caving experience. They were supported by cavers from the Speleological Exploration Club (SEC) of South Africa. Updates were provided live on Twitter by Lee Berger, John Hawks, Elen Feuerriegel, and Lindsay Eaves while the team leaders monitored the activities on a CCTV system. The 1200 pieces retrieved came from soft, damp dirt in an area of only one or two square metres, and excavated to a depth of 10 or 20 cm. By the time the excavation was closed down, it became apparent that thousands of bones were still in place, including articulated remains, and that the greater part of the fossil trove had not been touched. The quality and completeness of the fossils is better than anything found to date.[5]

A collaborative workshop took place on May 2014, the first of its kind, and will include career scientists in the processing, analysis, and interpretation of the fossil remains. The large number of individuals found in a tiny underground chamber, though, invites speculation on the cause. The difficulty of access as well as apparent early age of the site would seem to rule out formal burial; the only possibilities remaining are transport by water from another location, or an attempted escape from a catastrophic surface event. Interestingly, the Tswaing crater, some 200,000 years old, lies only 70 km distant.

The cave system has been previously visited by recreational cavers. The site itself is only 800m from the archaeological site Swartkrans, where there is the oldest evidence of fire use by humans.[6][7]

On February 20, 2014 it was announced that a second, possibly unrelated, fossil hominin site was found in the cave complex.[8] The site, designated UW-102 was found by cavers Rick Hunter and Steve Tucker on the last day of the first Rising Star Expedition and evaluated in February 2014 by Rick Hunter, Lee Berger, John Hawks, Alia Gurtov, and Pedro Boshoff.

Publication of twelve papers on the UW-101 find are under review with publication expected in early 2015 while the UW-102 find is still under study with additional specimens removed in November 2014 due to perceived danger to the specimens.[4]

References

  1. ^ http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/11/27/final-day-of-excavations/
  2. ^ "Anthropologist, 'underground astronaut' strike fossil gold in South Africa dig".
  3. ^ "Anthropology Prof. John Hawks and UW-Madison students dig up crucial remnants of early hominids".
  4. ^ a b Lee R. Berger. "Rising Star Empire Cave 2014 Annual Report".
  5. ^ http://www.sec-caving.co.za/2014/07/rising-star-expedition-finds-over-1000.html
  6. ^ http://mg.co.za/article/2013-11-27-rising-star-expedition-spelunks-down-cradle-of-humankind
  7. ^ http://thenaturalhistorian.com/2013/11/13/science-in-progress-the-rising-star-expedition-in-south-africa/
  8. ^ Hawks, John. "Scientists Return to Explore a Second Fossil Chamber".
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