Research in Plio-Pleistocene hominid paleontology over the past four decades has focused largely on exploration and recovery of fossils and artifacts from sites in East Africa. All five known australopithecine sites in southern Africa were discovered between 1924 and 1948; no new locality has been found in over forty years. In order to appreciate the course of early hominid development beyond that represented in East Africa, and in order to gain a more precise picture of chronological relationships, it is critical that additional fossiliferous localities be discovered in southern Africa. Plio-Pleistocene sediments in southern Africa are represented by breccia-filled caves within the limestones of the Transvaal System. The purpose of this project is to undertake a systematic, exploratory survey of the outcrops along the eastern escarpment of the Transvaal System for fossiliferous breccia caves, and to identify sites for future, long-term excavation. The chances of finding such a rewarding site may not be high, but the extreme value to anthropology if such a site is found makes this exploration a most worthwhile risk.
