Further chronological seriations of southern African Pliocene and Pleistocene mammalian faunal assemblages
Date
1995
Authors
McKee, Jeffrey K.
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Publisher
Bernard Price Institute for Palaeontological Research
Abstract
Mammalian fossil assemblages from Pliocene and Pleistocene sites of southern Africa have
recently been seriated in order to establish a relative chronology (McKee et al. 1994). Although
an order was inferred for 17 site assemblages of fossil mammals, only ten sites could be seriated
at a time. The logistical seriation method has now been modified to handle a greater number of
sites at once. Seriations were run on a matrix of Faunal Resemblance Index values for an updated
list of time-sensitive mammals of 18 fossil site assemblages. In addition, each assemblage was
systematically excluded from analysis in successive seriations to test the robusticity of the method
against the influence of individual assemblages. The seriations gave largely consistent results,
with the exception of the terminal Pleistocene sites. The most likely chronological sequence
inferred from the logistical seriations alone, with corrections for stratigraphic considerations, is:
Makapansgat Member 3, Makapansgat Member 4, Taung Hrdlicka deposits, Sterkfontein Member
4, Kromdraai B, Sterkfontein Member 5 (in part), Kromdraai A, Swartkrans Member 1,
Swartkrans Member 2, Swartkrans Member 3, Gondolin, Plovers Lake, Cornelia, Elandsfontein
Main Site, Florisbad/Equus Cave, Cave of Hearths and Klasies River Mouth.
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