Pontnewydd Cave (Pleistocene of the United Kingdom)

Where: Wales, United Kingdom (53.2° N, 3.5° W: paleocoordinates 53.2° N, 3.6° W)

• coordinate based on nearby landmark

• outcrop-level geographic resolution

When: Pleistocene (2.6 - 0.0 Ma)

• hominid from the Intermediate Complex, all others from both the Intermediate Complex and the Lower Breccia. Dating done with Uranium series, and thermoluminescence yield dates 200-180kyr

• group of beds-level stratigraphic resolution

Environment/lithology: cave; coarse-grained, pebbly, cherty/siliceous sandstone and lithified, calcareous breccia

• fluvial and mudflow deposits into a cave
• Intermediate Complex are transitional between sand/gravel units and breccia units. Unit is characterized by the presence of siliceous pebbles, badly sorted coarse sand and highly altered limestone clasts.

•Breccia units comprise many angular coarse particles, mainly limestone, with medium to strong carbonate cement.

Size classes: macrofossils, mesofossils

Collection methods: also includes archaeological material (300 artefacts)

Primary reference: H. S. Green, C. B. Stringer, S. N. Collcutt, A. P. Currant, J. Huxtable, H. P. Schwarcz, N. Debenham, C. Embleton, P. Bull, T. I. Molleson, and R. E. Bevins. 1981. Pontnewydd Cave in Wales -- a new Middle Pleistocene hominid site. Nature 294(24):707-713 [J. Alroy/E. Leckey/E. Leckey]more details

Purpose of describing collection: taxonomic analysis

PaleoDB collection 34940: authorized by John Alroy, entered by Erin Leckey on 20.10.2003

Creative Commons license: CC BY (attribution)

Taxonomic list

Mammalia
 Carnivora - Felidae
cf. Panthera sp. Oken 1816 cat
Panthera leo Linnaeus 1758 lion
 Carnivora - Ursidae
Ursus sp. Linnaeus 1758 bear
 Carnivora - Canidae
Vulpes vulpes Linnaeus 1758 red fox
 Perissodactyla - Equidae
Equus sp. Linnaeus 1758 horse
 Perissodactyla - Rhinocerotidae
"Dicerorhinus kirchbergensis" = Dihoplus kirchbergensis
"Dicerorhinus kirchbergensis" = Dihoplus kirchbergensis Jäger 1839 rhinoceros
 Artiodactyla - Cervidae
Cervus elaphus Linnaeus 1758 red deer
Rangifer tarandus Linnaeus 1758 reindeer
 Artiodactyla - Bovidae
Bovidae indet. Gray 1821 antelope
Bos or Bison sp.
 Rodentia - Castoridae
Castor fiber Linnaeus 1758 Eurasian beaver
 Rodentia - Muridae
Apodemus sp. Kaup 1829 Eurasian field mouse
 Rodentia - Cricetidae
Lemmus lemmus Linnaeus 1758 Norway lemming
Microtus oeconomus Pallas 1776 tundra vole
Arvicola terrestris Linnaeus 1758 European water vole
 Lagomorpha - Ochotonidae
 Lagomorpha - Leporidae
Lepus cf. timidus Linnaeus 1758 mountain hare
 Primates - Hominidae
Hominidae indet. Gray 1825 ape
a molar, a mandibular fragment and a vertebral element