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The Cradle of Humankind
The Cradle of Humankind is a World
Heritage Site which comprises a strip of a dozen dolomitic limestone caves containing
the fossillised remains of ancient forms of animals, plants and most importantly,
hominids. The dolomite in which the caves formed, started out as coral reefs growing in a
worm shallow sea about 2.3 billion years ago.
The Cradle Of Humankind Site lies mainly in the Gauteng Province of
South Africa with a small extension into the North West
Province, and covers 47,000 hectares of land which is mostly privately owned. The
Cradle of Humankind Site comprises a strip of a dozen dolomitic limestone caves containing
the fossillised remains of ancient forms of animals, plants and most importantly,
hominids. The dolomite in which the caves formed, started out as coral reefs growing in a
worm shallow sea about 2.3 billion years ago.
As the reefs died off they were transformed into limestone which some time later was
converted into dolomite. Millions of years later after the sea had receded, slightly
acidic groundwater began to dissolve out calcium carbonate from the dolomite to form
underground caverns. Over time the water table dropped and the underground caverns were
exposed to the air. The percolation of acidic water through the dolomite also dissolved
calcium carbonates out of the rock into the caverns, which formed stalactites, stalagmites
and other crystalline structures.
Continued erosion on the earth's surface and dissolution of the dolomite eventually
resulted in shafts or avens forming between the surface of the earth and the caverns
below. Bones, stones and plants washed down these shafts into the caves; and animals and
hominids fell into the caves, became trapped and died.The bone and plant remains became
fossilized and along with various stones and pebbles became cemented in a hard mixture
called breccia.
At least seven of the twelve sites have yielded hominid remains. In fact, together these
cave sites have produced over 850 hominid fossil remains, so that to date they represent
one of the world's richest concentrations of fossil hominid bearing sites.The scientific
value of this area lies in the fact that these sites provide us with a window into the
past, to a time when our earliest ancestors were evolving and changing. Scientists have
long accepted that all humans had their origins in Africa.
Through the use of biochemical evidence they have argued that the split of the human
lineage (Hominidae) from that of the African apes took place around 5-6 million years ago.
The study of hominid fossils from sites in Africa thus enables scientists to understand
how these hominids have changed and diversified since then. |
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Related Links to Cradle of Humankind:
Cradle
of Humankind Map - A detailed map of the Cradle of Humankind in South Africa.
Cradle
of Humankind - More detailed information about the Cradle of Humankind including
descriptions of notable sites within the Cradle.
Cradle of Humankind on Wikipedia - Notes from
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. |
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North West Province Accommodation by
Town Name
• Boshoek • Brits • Hartbeespoort
Dam • Klerksdorp
• Lichtenburg
• Madikwe • Boshoek
• Mafikeng • Magaliesberg
• Marikana • Phokeng
• Pilanesberg
• Potchefstroom
• Rustenburg
• Sun City • Swartruggens
• Taung • Wolmaransstad |
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