Cathedral Cave (MIS 5)
Basic information
Sample name: Cathedral Cave (MIS 5)

Reference: P. Roberts, E. Delson, P. Miracle, P. Ditchfield, R. G. Roberts, Z. Jacobs, J. Blinkhorn, R. L. Ciochon, J. G. Fleagle, S. R. Frost, C. C. Gilbert, G. F. Gunnell, T. Harrison, R. Korisettar, and M. D. Petraglia. 2014. Continuity of mammalian fauna over the last 200 000 y in the Indian subcontinent. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 111(16):5848-5853 [ER 3741]
Geography
Country: India

State: Andhra Pradesh


Coordinate: 15° 26' N, 78° 11' E
Coordinate basis: stated in text

Time interval: Late Pleistocene

Section: 3741

Unit number: 3

Unit order: above to below

Ma: 0.122

Age basis: OSL

Geography comments: "Cathedral Cave is a major chamber of the Billasurgam cave complex, located approximately 5 km from the town of Betamcherla, and 1 km southeast of the village of Kinda Kanama Kottala in Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh".
The MIS 5 layers of Cathedral Cave were dated by optically stimulated luminescence to 122 ± 8 ka.

Environment
Lithology: claystone

Taphonomic context: cave

Habitat comments: "The cave complex consists of an interconnected series of large karst chambers within Paleozoic carbonate host rock. The sedimentary sequence within the cave complex is dominated by silt-grade siliciclastic deposits. These deposits are punctuated by occasional layers of coarse breccia related to minor periodic roof collapse". The MIS 5 layers of Cathedral Cave comprise mostly of stiff red clay sediments.
"The majority of the sedimentary input to the cave complex has been via surface runoff into a well-developed network of sinkholes. There is no evidence of significant fluvial input or reworking of the sediments. No artefacts, evidence of hearths, or cultural accumulations of objects was encountered in the most recent excavations of the site".

Methods
Life forms: carnivores,primates,rodents,ungulates,other small mammals

Sampling methods: quarry,screenwash

Sample size: 75 specimens

Years: 2003 - 2008

Sampling comments: "Faunal samples were excavated and collected by hand whenever possible. Approximately 4.5 m3 of deposits was excavated from Cathedral Cave. Samples were grouped on the basis of sediments excavated by a combination of natural layers and 10-cm spits within these layers. All sediments were dry sieved using 1- or 0.5-mm mesh to retrieve smaller elements".

Metadata
Sample number: 3978

Contributor: Benjamin Carter

Enterer: Benjamin Carter

Created: 2022-08-22 13:07:16

Modified: 2023-05-01 01:14:41

Abundance distribution
16 species
6 singletons
total count 75
geometric series index: 35.5
Fisher's α: 6.231
geometric series k: 0.8247
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.8456
Shannon's H: 2.2178
Good's u: 0.9211
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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