Taphonomy of the Gondolin GD 2 in situ Deposits and its Bearing on Interpretations of South African Plio-Pleistocene Karstic Fossil Assemblages

The GD 2 fossil assemblage was excavated from a densely fossiliferous calcified in situ hanging remnant adhering to the northwestern corner of the Gondolin cave system in 1979 At present this sample is the only sizeable (n=95 549) Plio-Pleistocene (similar to 18 million years ago) South African karstic-derived faunal assemblage sampled solely from calcified in situ sediments with minimal recovery phase temporal or spatial aggregation Prior description of the assemblage only briefly addressed the taphonomy of the deposits this paper presents the first comprehensive taphonomic analysis of the total macromammalian assemblage The demographic composition and clement preservation of the small mammal remains are consistent with autochthonous accumulation through use of the deposition area as habitat The distribution of large mammal individuals across taxonomic and body size categories representation of elements and preserved element modifications are most consistent with allochthonous accumulation by a leopard-like carnivore with only a minor porcupine contribution Carcasses appear to have been accumulated both relatively whole and directly into the depositional area likely through use of the GD 2 region as a feeding retreat Only minimal hydrological or other postdepositional resorting took place prior to excavation although significant comminution of the assemblage likely occurred during the recovery phase processing of the calcified matrix Integration of the results with recent Interpretations of the Gondolin karstic system and primate-bearing Plio Pleistocene South African assemblages highlight the fundamentally idiosyncratic nature of individual taphonomic measures and processes that mediated the composition of the macromammalian fossil records in karstic deposits even those with similar primary accumulative agents or from spatially proximate portions of the same cave system.