Zambia-Palaeokarst-Research-Project (ZPRP) - Zambia-USA-Germany

A joint research project of National Heritage Conservation Commission (Zambia), the Unit of Mammalogy of the Zoological Museum Hamburg (Germany) and the Department of Anthropologyof Albany university (USA).

The project surveys and investigates Plio-Pleistocene fossil bearing cave deposits in Zambia. The goal is to close the huge biogeographic gap in the fossil record of mammals including hominids in the central part of the African continent.

ZPRP research sites in Zambia

Kalenda-East

This phantastic site exposes the brecciated infill of an ancient cave. This cave breccia is highly fossiliferous. Today, the former cave sediments are burries under several meters of soil. Perolating water has partly decalcified the carbonate cemented breccias, a process which results in the formation of breccia pillars. Some of these poillars are covered with a huge limestone boulder, each of which represents a piece of the former cave roof. These boulders need to be cracked in order to acess the fossiliferous breccia.

Excavation site Kalenda-East-AB (klick photo to see more)

Kaindu-Cave

Kaindu-Cave is a newly discovered spectacular cave site. The cave system contains several geneerations of fossiliferous cave breccias, some of which are even exposed at the walls of the impressive doline, which provides acess to the system. Kaindu cave also contains substancial flowstone deposits interbedded with fossiliferous breccias.

The entrance hall of Kaindu-Cave. Part of the floor represents the slope of a huge fossil debris cone (klick photo to see more)

Lunyemu-24

The site of Lunyemu represents the fossil infill of a former limestone fissure. Hyaenas used this fissure as a den and shelter, leaving bones ane teeth of their prey behind. The corbonate rich soils filling the fissure of Lunyemu subsequently turned into natural concrete (b reccia) and provided a protective environment for bones of large and also small vertebrates.

A fossil Hyaena tooth from the Lunyemu fissure breccia (klick photo to see more)

Chanyungue-1

The Chanyungue cave was formerly completely filled with sediment. These sediments were then partly consolidated with carbonates, forming a cave breccia. Long affter depositoin, most of these infills were again decalicified and removed by water periodically flooding the area and the cave, whioch accted as a swallow hole. What remained of the cave deposits is adhering to the walls and roof of the cave and has preserved a rich Plio-Pleitocene mammal fauna representing a savannah environment.

The entrance hall of Chanyungue cave during survey and excavation (klick photo to see more)