New stratigraphic interpretations of the fossil and artefact-bearing deposits of the Name Chamber, Sterkfontein

This research presents the stratigraphie analysis of the fossil and artefact-bearing Name Chamber deposits at Sterkfontein, in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, South Africa. Two allogenic deposits have filled into the Name Chamber and formed four talus slopes documenting a long history of sediment movement through the Sterkfontein cave system. The depositional regime of the allogenic deposits can be described as a multi-phase, multi-destination redeposition of sediments through a long, narrow and vertical articulating shaft from the now surface-exposed Member 5 deposits in the upper gallery into the lower gallery Name Chamber, during and after the formation of the Member 5 Oldowan-bearing deposit. This regime has resulted in a proportion of the <20 mm component of the Sterkfontein Oldowan assemblage being disassociated from its original depositional context and redistributed much deeper into the cave system. Filtration processes active in the Feeding Shaft have further influenced the resultant faunal and archaeological assemblage profiles. The complex depositional processes influencing the movement of sediments from Member 5 into the Name Chamber are typical of cave sites and illustrate the value of detailed stratigraphie work in sourcing, tracking and understanding faunal and archaeological assemblages from these challenging contexts.