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Archaeologists usually see, and understand, rock shelters as taphonomically active, but pre-existing, physical structures onto which people undertake a variety of actions including rock art. Our aim in this paper is not only to document the changes undergone by rock shelters but also to identify traces of anthropic actions that have intentionally led to these changes. Recent research in northern Australia provides empirical evidence that for thousands of years, Aboriginal peoples altered the physical shape of rock shelters by removing masses of rock to create alcoves, restructure internal spaces and create stone-worked furniture. Through archaeomorphological research, this paper presents evidence from Borologa in Australia's Kimberley region, where hard quartzite monoliths were shaped and engaged as architectural designs by Aboriginal people prior to painting many surfaces, making us rethink what have traditionally been distinguished as natural versus cultural dimensions of archaeological landscapes and rock art sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent paper, community-held archival material was used to evaluate the palaeo-biology of dinosaur track-makers from the 'fireclay caverns' of Mount Morgan. With the ensuing interest, community members disclosed additional photographic documentation of Mount Morgan dinosaur tracks. The described theropodan and ornithischian tracks are consistent with the known Mount Morgan ichnofaunal record, while evidence of Anomoepus track-makers walking with the atypical plantigrade pedal posture has not been previously documented in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order of impact, the main anthropogenic threats to caves in eastern Australia are and have been for the European history of Australia: mining, inundation, vandalism, wear and tear, lampenflora, lint and dust, scientists and poorly informed decisions. Destruction of caves by natural processes is not a focus of this paper as it occurs over a geological time scale and there are few historical accounts of natural catastrophic cave failure. Saving and protecting caves are difficult due to the reliance and insistence on conservation by secrecy used by cavers and the organisations that represent them. Other issues that inhibit cave conservation are: limited public exposure, perceptions of land managers and farmers about caves, a shortage of research-based information on caves and difficulties with establishing the significance of a cave. Cave monitoring and the education of managers and cave guides are known to enhance the conservation of show caves. Actions that would help to save and conserve caves throughout Australia include: changes to planning legislation, establishment of a cave conservation organisation, introduction of specific cave protection legislation and the establishment of a Research Centre for Caves, Karst and Geoheritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents selected results of an experimental study using portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) for the non-destructive analysis of rock art pigments in northern Australia. During two weeks of fieldwork in the dry season of 2011 at the Red Lily Lagoon area in western Arnhem Land, 32 rock art motifs in four rockshelter sites were analysed. A total of 640 analyses were undertaken, including of white, red, black, yellow and blue pigments from both early and contact art motifs. This paper discusses the geochemical analysis of one particular motif painted with black pigment. It was determined that processed metal lead was the most likely pigment base. Contrary to previous stylistic analysis that suggested the motif had an old age, our analysis suggests that the motif was painted within the last 200-300 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new species of Loricifera, Pliciloricus cavernicola sp. nov. and Australoricus oculatus gen. nov. et sp. nov., have been found in two submarine caves, Jim's Cave and Fish Rock Cave, off the coast of New South Wales, Australia. This is the first discovery of Loricifera from Australia and additionally from marine caves. This paper is the third paper concerning the meiofauna animals from the two caves. Pliciloricus cavernicola sp. nov. is characterized by an adult having a large tripartite mouth cone with six oral stylets; clavoscalids with fine lines; a short, robust double organ; small leg-shaped scalids with three stiff hairs; simple claw-shaped scalids; reduction of trichoscalid basal plates in the first two rows and a midventral plica with three ridges. Australoricus oculatus gen. nov. et sp. nov. is characterized by a Higgins-larva having a pair of pigmented eyes; the 2nd scalid row missing; six smooth and long filiform scalids in the 6th row; six rectangular plates with two teeth in the 7th row; three pairs of ventral setae; two large lateral lorica plates; three pairs of posterior setae and toes with balloon-shaped mucrones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stone points were introduced across northern Australia during the mid-Holocene. The reasons behind this novel technological development are unclear but, given their morphology, an obvious interpretation is that they were used as spear tips. However, others have theorised that points, along with backed artefacts elsewhere, may have been multifunctional tools. This paper tests the hypothesis that lithic points were primarily spear tips by applying a macrofracture analysis, supported by experimentation, in order to identify diagnostic impact fractures on a large sample of points from Wardaman Country in the Northern Territory. The analysis suggests that points were rarely used as spear tips overall, though they were more commonly employed as projectiles when first introduced to Wardaman Country and when transported away from large residential sites to regions where mobile hunting equipment might be expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys offer several advantages for non-invasively assessing stratigraphy in archaeological rockshelters, including providing information about subsurface stratigraphy and the location of features such as roof fall and bedrock. Challenges to understanding the record of human impact and site formation processes in Australian rockshelter deposits include where to position archaeological excavations, how best to determine the onset of human occupation within sequences beyond the presence of stone artefacts (which can be limited at depth owing to sampling issues) and how to resolve issues relating to stratigraphic associations. This paper demonstrates how GPR can be used to gain a better understanding of buried deposits in a Pleistocene-aged rockshelter. When compared with results from sediment magnetic susceptibility studies, GPR verified the major stratigraphic units identified at the site, the depth of bedrock and the presence of roof fall, but it also provided information on the sediment volume within the stratigraphic units. This is a unique outcome for exploring rockshelter deposits and geophysical signatures overall, aiding in the interpretation of complex site sediments and offering a useful tool for future site investigations. Abbreviations: GPR: ground-penetrating radar; GS1: Gledswood Shelter 1; SU: stratigraphic unit; LOI: loss on ignition; MHz: mega hertz; ns: nanosecond; GSSI: Geophysical Survey Systems Inc.; Hz: hertz; P: phosphorus; Xfd: frequency dependence; PSA: particle size analysis; Tc: Curie temperature; YR: yellow red [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report on many phosphate containing natural minerals found in the Jenolan Caves - Australia. Such minerals are formed by the reaction of bat guano and clays from the caves. Among these cave minerals is the montgomeryite mineral [Ca(4)MgAl(4)(PO(4))(6)·(OH)(4)·12H(2)O]. The presence of montgomeryite in deposits of the Jenolan Caves - Australia has been identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Raman spectroscopy complimented with infrared spectroscopy has been used to characterise the crystal structure of montgomeryite. The Raman spectrum of a standard montgomeryite mineral is identical to that of the Jenolan Caves sample. Bands are assigned to H(2)PO(4)(-), OH and NH stretching vibrations. By using a combination of XRD and Raman spectroscopy, the existence of montgomeryite in the Jenolan Caves - Australia has been proven. A mechanism for the formation of montgomeryite is proposed., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This paper describes the results and implications of recent excavations on the Hamersley Iron Brockman 4 tenement, near Tom Price, Western Australia. Results concentrate on two rock shelters with Aboriginal occupation starting at least 32,000 years ago and extending throughout the Last Glacial period. Preliminary observations are proposed concerning the nature of Aboriginal foraging patterns as displayed in the flaked stone and faunal records tor the Brockman region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following its initial occupation ca 40,000 years ago, Aboriginal people using Allen’s Cave in South Australia’s arid zone experienced two major climatic changes. From the onset of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) at ca 30,000 cal. BP, until its peak at ca 22,000-18,000 cal. BP, aridity in Australia reached its most intense phase during the human occupation of the site. Conversely, conditions around the Allen’s Cave region during the early Holocene, 11,000-8,000 cal. BP, were the most favourable for human occupation. In this paper, we present the results of a technological and statistical re-analysis of previously excavated Allen’s Cave stone artefact assemblages, focusing on the period ca 40,000-5,000 cal. BP, to examine whether people made adjustments to stone tool manufacture in response to these climatic fluctuations. Our results and interpretations are consistent with some of the conclusions of previous scholars, primarily that the site was used for infrequent visitation rather than long-term occupation, and that little change occurred in the production of stone artefacts (despite changing environmental conditions). We also concur that lithic evidence exists for trade/exchange and/or a change in foraging range or stone curation practices at the start of the early Holocene. However, we do not support all prior claims for significant cultural and demographic changes at this time and we argue that Allen’s Cave was probably abandoned from ca 30,000 to 26,000 cal. BP. The ca 4,000 year hiatus, combined with probable increased visitation after the LGM, suggests that whilst stone tool technology remained largely consistent during the period of focus, Aboriginal people did alter their occupation patterns in response to environmental changes. On the basis of these new interpretations about the site’s occupation history, we provide updated observations in order to contribute to desert occupation modelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malarrak 1 is currently the northernmost excavated rockshelter on the Australian mainland, located in the Wellington Range in north western Arnhem Land. The site contains a rich late Holocene deposit, with extensive contact rock art, stone artefacts, shell, bone, contact materials, ancestral human remains, and other cultural material. Excavation of the Malarrak 1 rockshelter and analysis of its sediments revealed many impacts on site formation processes within the deposit. We attribute the disturbance to possible erosion or sediment deposition during periods of intense rainfall and also to the construction of timber structures within the site. This is supported by modern and historical observations and is the focus of this paper. The extent of the disturbance to Malarrak 1 provides a cautionary tale for other excavations in the region that may be affected by similar Indigenous site occupation, as these anthropogenic activities enhance the risk of further impacts arising from biological and geomorphological processes that can impinge on the stratigraphic integrity of the cultural deposits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wellington Caves were the first Australian locality from which Europeans collected and analysed vertebrate fossils. Within this system, Cathedral Cave contains Australia's stratigraphically deepest sequence of fossil‐bearing infill sediments, the age and depositional history of which has been poorly understood. Here we present results from a new excavation of the upper 4.2 m of the deposit, reanalysing the stratigraphy, petrography, sedimentology and geochemistry, and employing optically stimulated luminescence dating, radiocarbon dating and Bayesian age modelling to establish a robust chronology. We recognise 13 sedimentary layers and sublayers in two stratigraphic units. Unit 2 accumulated between 72 000 ± 5000 and 38 000 ± 7000 years ago as sediments and animals entered through a now‐blocked ceiling hole. Accumulation halted for around 30 000 years when the hole closed. Unit 1 accumulated when deposition was reinitiated around 7000 ± 2000 years ago, continuing through to a few hundred years ago. Our chronology refutes earlier dating of the deposit, which suggested that extinct Pleistocene megafauna taxa persisted locally until the Last Glacial Maximum. It confirms the deposit as one of the few in Australia that formed during the interval of major environmental upheaval marked by the arrival of humans, variable climate and the extinction of many megafaunal species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Blind cave spiders of the genus Troglodiplura are large, enigmatic spiders, which show a number of adaptations to an underground existence, including elongated limbs and a complete lack of eyes. They are known only from the Nullarbor Plain, Australia and prior to this study the species were only known from juveniles or fragments of dead spiders. We investigated the distribution of Troglodiplura in South Australia, providing detailed observations of the behaviour of living adult and juvenile spiders in their natural habitat and in captivity. Given the adaptations of the spiders to an underground existence, plus the barriers to above-ground dispersal posed by the arid climate of the Nullarbor Plain, we expected species to be confined to single caves. However, our molecular evidence showed that the species T. beirutpakbarai was distributed across multiple caves in South Australia, each separated by between 10–27 km, and that there had been connection between the caves in recent history. These findings provide intriguing evidence for subterranean between-cave dispersal mechanisms for these spiders. A number of threats to cave fauna and the fragile cave ecosystem are posed, and we recommend further research to better define the distribution of vulnerable cave taxa and their conservation profiles. Previously described from only fragments of exoskeleton and juvenile specimens, the cave spider genus Troglodiplura (Araneae: Anamidae), endemic to the Nullarbor Plain, is the only troglomorphic member of the infraorder Mygalomorphae recorded from Australia. We investigated the distribution of Troglodiplura in South Australia, collecting and observing the first (intact) mature specimens, widening the number of caves it has been recorded in, and documenting threats to conservation. Phylogenetic analyses support the placement of Troglodiplura as an independent lineage within the subfamily Anaminae (the 'Troglodiplura group') and provide unequivocal evidence that populations from apparently isolated cave systems are conspecifics of T. beirutpakbarai Harvey & Rix, 2020, with extremely low or negligible inter-population mitochondrial divergences. This is intriguing evidence for recent or contemporary subterranean dispersal of these large, troglomorphic spiders. Observations of adults and juvenile spiders taken in the natural cave environment, and supported by observations in captivity, revealed the use of crevices within caves as shelters, but no evidence of silk use for burrow construction, contrasting with the typical burrowing behaviours seen in other Anamidae. We identify a range of threats posed to the species and to the fragile cave ecosystem, and provide recommendations for further research to better define the distribution of vulnerable taxa within caves and identify actions needed to protect them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen isotopic (δ18O) variations in stalagmite records have the potential to provide new insights about past climates beyond the instrumental record. This paper presents the first high-resolution oxygen isotope time series of three coeval stalagmite records from the alpine region of south-eastern Australia covering the period 1922–2006 CE. We use extended surface and cave monitoring datasets, petrographic investigation, modelled recharge time series and farmed calcite precipitates to assess the controls on speleothem δ18O and investigate the coherence between three records from Harrie Wood Cave. The drip water response to recent interannual rainfall variability shows that cave drip water Cl−, δ18O and drip rate display a clear response to an increase in rainfall recharge. It is demonstrated that stalagmites from the same drip sites also record variability in interannual recharge, where an increase in δ18O values is observed with lower recharge, while a decrease in δ18O values correspond to higher recharge amounts. The three stalagmite δ18O records are in broad agreement, showing common responses to relatively higher recharge between 1945 and 1995 CE and the low recharge periods between 1937 and 1945 CE (World War II drought) and late 1996 to 2006 CE (beginning of the Millennium Drought). However, differences in the magnitude of the relative response of each stalagmite δ18O record varies. Based on evidence from our cave monitoring study and farmed calcites, we conclude that the differences between the three stalagmite records is attributed to variability in the contribution of preferential flows during recharge events and the store reservoir volume supplying the drip site. When the δ18O decreases in response to enhanced recharge, the speleothem δ13C also decreases, and this is interpreted to reflect a soil respiration response to changes in soil moisture availability due to recharge. Hence, stalagmite δ18O from the Australian alpine region can be applied to reconstruct periods of relatively higher and lower rainfall recharge and thus extend our knowledge of the timing and relative magnitude of droughts as well as past periods of higher recharge in this region. [Display omitted] • Three replicated 20th - 21stC stalagmite δ18O records from Harrie Wood Cave, SE Australia. • Modern speleothems are examined using insights from cave monitoring datasets in this region. • Stalagmite δ18O records from the Australian Alps are archives of regional recharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palaeontological animal bone deposits are rarely investigated through research partnerships where the local First Nations communities have a defining hand in both the research questions asked and the research processes. Here we report research undertaken through such a partnership approach at the iconic archaeological site of Cloggs Cave (GunaiKurnai Country, East Gippsland), in the southern foothills of SE Australia's Great Dividing Range.A new excavation was combined with detailed chronometric dating, high‐resolution 3D mapping and geomorphological studies. This allowed interpretation of a sequence of stratigraphic layers spanning from a lowermost excavated mixed layer dated to between 25,640 and 48,470 cal BP, to a dense set of uppermost, ash layers dated to between 1460 and 3360 cal BP. This long and well‐dated chronostratigraphic sequence enabled temporal trends in the abundant small mammal remains to be examined.The fossil assemblage consists of at least 31 taxa of mammals which change in proportions through time. Despite clear evidence that the Old Ancestors repeatedly carried vegetation into the cave to fuel cool fires (no visible vegetation grows in Cloggs Cave), we observed little to no evidence of cooking fires or calcined bone, suggesting that people had little involvement with the accumulation of the faunal remains. Small mammal bones were most likely deposited in the cave by large disc‐faced owls, Tyto novaehollandae (Masked Owl) or Tyto tenebricosa (Sooty Owl).Despite being well dated and largely undisturbed, the Cloggs Cave assemblage does not appear to track known Late Quaternary environmental change. Instead, the complex geomorphology of the area fostered a vegetation mosaic that supported mammals with divergent habitat preferences. The faunal deposit suggests a local ancestral landscape characterised by a resilient mosaic of habitats that persisted over thousands of years, signalling that the Old Ancestors burned landscape fires to encourage and manage patches of different vegetation types and ages within and through periods of climate change. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, we report on many phosphate containing natural minerals found in the Jenolan Caves – Australia. Such minerals are formed by the reaction of bat guano and clays from the caves. Among these cave minerals is the montgomeryite mineral [Ca4MgAl4(PO4)6·(OH)4·12H2O]. The presence of montgomeryite in deposits of the Jenolan Caves – Australia has been identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Raman spectroscopy complimented with infrared spectroscopy has been used to characterise the crystal structure of montgomeryite. The Raman spectrum of a standard montgomeryite mineral is identical to that of the Jenolan Caves sample. Bands are assigned to H2PO4 −, OH and NH stretching vibrations. By using a combination of XRD and Raman spectroscopy, the existence of montgomeryite in the Jenolan Caves – Australia has been proven. A mechanism for the formation of montgomeryite is proposed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The ichnological and palaeobiological interpretation of the first dinosaur tracks described from the Lower Jurassic (Sinemurian) Razorback beds, anthropogenic 'fireclay caverns' of Mount Morgan, Australia, is reviewed. This track sequence of two size categories has been widely accepted as having been formed by a theropod walking in an uncharacteristic quadrupedal stance. However, the morphology of the purported manus impression remained ambiguous due to the poor reproduction quality of the original image data. Here, we present previously unpublished archival photographic and replica material of this track surface. These clearly show the morphological details of the track series that are consistent with registration by two different sized bipedal track-makers. Overall, our findings illustrate that retained archival data can be pivotal in the resolution of palaeoichnological obscurities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we describe eight bone artifacts recovered from Pleistocene and Holocene contexts at Riwi, a cave site located in Mimbi country of the south‐central Kimberley. These artifacts reflect a range of activities occurring at the site—including the manufacture of plant‐fiber items, the processing of spinifex resin, and fish or bird hunting. As the oldest four artifacts were found within the Pleistocene deposit and therefore date to older than 35,000 cal. BP, these tools represent some of the most ancient bone technologies thus far identified in northern Australia. Such rare finds are helping to rewrite stories surrounding the innovation and use of osseous technologies on the Australian continent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeologists often wonder how and when rock shelters formed, yet their origins and antiquity are almost never systematically investigated. Here we present a new method to determine how and when individual boulders and rock shelters came to lie in their present landscape settings. We do so through 3D laser (LiDAR) mapping, illustrating the method by example of the Borologa Aboriginal site complex in the Kimberley region of northwestern Australia. Through a combination of geomorphological study and high‐resolution 3D modelling, individual blocks of rock are refitted and repositioned t680their originating cliff‐line. Preliminary cosmogenic nuclide ages on exposed vertical cliff faces and associated detached boulders above the Borologa archaeological sites signal very slow detachment rates for the mass movements of large blocks down the Drysdale Valley slopes, suggesting relative landscape stability over hundreds of thousands of years (predating the arrival of people). These findings offer hitherto unknown details of the pace of regional landscape evolution and move us toward a better understanding of patterns of human occupation in a context of relatively stable rock outcrops both within the sites and across the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with araneomorph spiders, relatively few mygalomorph spiders have evolved an obligate existence in subterranean habitats. The trapdoor spider genus Troglodiplura Main, 1969 and its sole named species T. lowryi Main, 1969 is endemic to caves on the Nullarbor Plain of southern Australia, and is one of the world's most troglomorphic mygalomorph spiders. However, its systematic position has proved to be difficult to ascertain, largely due to a lack of preserved adults, with all museum specimens represented only by cuticular fragments, degraded specimens or preserved juveniles. The systematic placement of Troglodiplura has changed since it was first described as a member of the Dipluridae, with later attribution to Nemesiidae and then back to Dipluridae. The most recent hypothesis specifically allied Troglodiplura with the Neotropical subfamily Diplurinae, and therefore was assumed to have no close living relatives in Australia. We obtained mitochondrial sequence data from one specimen of Troglodiplura to test these two competing hypotheses, and found that Troglodiplura is a member of the family Anamidae (which was recently separated from the Nemesiidae). We also reassess the morphology of the cuticular fragments of specimens from several different caves, and hypothesise that along with T. lowryi there are four new troglobitic species, here named T. beirutpakbarai Harvey & Rix, T. challeni Harvey & Rix, T. harrisi Harvey & Rix, and T. samankunani Harvey & Rix, each of which is restricted to a single cave system and therefore severely threatened by changing environmental conditions within the caves. The first descriptions and illustrations of the female spermathecae of Troglodiplura are provided. The family Anamidae is further divided into two subfamilies, with the Anaminae Simon containing Aname L. Koch, 1873, Hesperonatalius Castalanelli, Huey, Hillyer & Harvey, 2017, Kwonkan Main, 1983, Swolnpes Main & Framenau, 2009 and Troglodiplura , and the Teylinae Main including Chenistonia Hogg, 1901, Namea Raven, 1984, Proshermacha Simon, 1909, Teyl Main, 1975 and Teyloides Main, 1985. ZooBank Registration: http://zoobank.org/References/2BE2B429-0998-4AFE-9381-B30BDC391E9C The world's most specialised cave-dwelling trapdoor spider, Troglodiplura , is known only from the caves in Australia's Nullarbor Plain. Although it was previously thought to be most closely related to South American spiders, we use sequence data to show that Troglodiplura belongs to the Australian endemic family Anamidae. In addition to the originally described species, T. lowryi , we found four new species. Each of the five species are restricted to individual caves, and are likely under threat from changing environmental conditions within the caves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to radon in show caves is an existing exposure situation. A survey of radon levels in underground show caves around Australia, carried out in 1994, found that most of the show caves located in South-Eastern Australia had yearly average radon levels exceeding the Australian radon reference level of 1000 Bq m−3. At the time of the original survey, the radiation doses from exposure to radon progeny of the tour guides in these caves were estimated using the epidemiologically based dose conversion factors and all dose were assessed to be less than 10 mSv per year. In February 2018, the International Commission for Radiological Protection (ICRP) published updated radon and radon progeny dose conversion factors (DCF) applicable to worker exposure to radon in show caves. These updated DCF values are based on dosimetric modelling and are sensitive to the radon progeny activity size distribution. The recommended DCF values are up to a factor four times higher than the previous ICRP recommendations. The ICRP has published data that allows for the estimation of site-specific radon progeny dose coefficients if required. A reassessment of the radiation doses to workers in Australian show caves has been made using these updated ICRP DCF values and the historical measurements of radon progeny activity size distributions in Australian show caves. Using the site-specific DCF values, it is estimated that 15% of the workers exceeded 10 mSv y−1 and 6% exceeded 20 mSv y−1. Although the total number of show cave workers in Australia is very small, the updated radon progeny dose estimates are a significant radiation protection issue for the affected individuals and their employers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fossils from caves in the Manning Karst Region, New South Wales, Australia have long been known, but until now have never been assessed for their palaeontological significance. Here, we report on late Quaternary faunal records from eight caves in the region. Extinct Pleistocene megafaunal taxa are recognised in two systems and include giant echidnas (Tachyglossidae gen. et sp. indet.), devils (Sarcophilus laniarius), koalas (Phascolarctos stirtoni), marsupial 'lions' (Thylacoleo carnifex), and kangaroos (Macropus giganteus titan). Some caves contain skeletal remains of introduced exotics such as sheep and dogs, but also provide a rich record of small-bodied native species including Eastern Bettongs (Bettongia gaimardi), Eastern Chestnut Mice (Pseudomys gracilicaudatus), and White-footed Rabbit Rats (Conilurus albipes). These endemics are either locally extirpated or have suffered total extinction in the historic period. Their skeletal and dental remains were recorded as unmineralised surface specimens in the caves, indicating that they are recent in age. Extant populations have never been recorded locally, thus, their probable loss from the region in historic times had gone unnoticed in the absence of palaeo-evidence. Our findings suggest that the supposed habitat tolerances of such species have been substantially underestimated. It is highly likely that modern populations have suffered niche contraction since the time of European colonisation of the continent. The local extirpations of several species of digging mammal has likely led to decreased functionality of the current ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manipulation of fire is a technological act. The identification of the archaeological signatures of the controlled use of fire has important implications not only for the estimations of the origins and functions of the first fireplaces but also for our understanding of prehistoric technological development and resource use. At Riwi (Kimberley region, Western Australia), excavations over two field seasons have revealed a discontinuous occupation sequence over the past 45 ka, showing numerous, different combustion features interspersed within the deposit. Anthracological and micromorphological investigations at Riwi Cave indicate that the combustion features at the site can be categorised into three types: flat combustion features (type A), dug combustion features (type B) and thick accumulations of mixed combustion residues (type C). These provide evidence for two kinds of combustion practice: (i) fires lit directly on the ground and most likely not re-used and (ii) ground ovens, the latter appearing some 10,000 years after the first evidence for occupation of the site. A comparison of the wood species identified within these combustion features with those from equivalent scattered context levels, enables an exploration of the potential factors influencing wood selection and fire use through time at the site. A detailed understanding of the relationship between wood charcoal remains and archaeological context yields significant information on changes to environmental context and site occupation patterns over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cave drip water response to surface meteorological conditions is complex due to the heterogeneity of water movement in the karst unsaturated zone. Previous studies have focused on the monitoring of fractured rock limestones that have little or no primary porosity. In this study, we aim to further understand infiltration water hydrology in the Tamala Limestone of SW Australia, which is Quaternary aeolianite with primary porosity. We build on our previous studies of the Golgotha Cave system and utilize the existing spatial survey of 29 automated cave drip loggers and a lidar-based flow classification scheme, conducted in the two main chambers of this cave. We find that a daily sampling frequency at our cave site optimizes the capture of drip variability with the least possible sampling artifacts. With the optimum sampling frequency, most of the drip sites show persistent autocorrelation for at least a month, typically much longer, indicating ample storage of water feeding all stalactites investigated. Drip discharge histograms are highly variable, showing sometimes multimodal distributions. Histogram skewness is shown to relate to the wetter-than-average 2013 hydrological year and modality is affected by seasonality. The hydrological classification scheme with respect to mean discharge and the flow variation can distinguish between groundwater flow types in limestones with primary porosity, and the technique could be used to characterize different karst flow paths when high-frequency automated drip logger data are available. We observe little difference in the coefficient of variation (COV) between flow classification types, probably reflecting the ample storage due to the dominance of primary porosity at this cave site. Moreover, we do not find any relationship between drip variability and discharge within similar flow type. Finally, a combination of multidimensional scaling (MDS) and clustering by k means is used to classify similar drip types based on time series analysis. This clustering reveals four unique drip regimes which agree with previous flow type classification for this site. It highlights a spatial homogeneity in drip types in one cave chamber, and spatial heterogeneity in the other, which is in agreement with our understanding of cave chamber morphology and lithology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cape Range, Australia, on the northwest coast of the continent at 21± S, 113± E, is a north-northeast-striking anticlinal ridge 315 m high, 130 km long, and 32 km wide extending into the sea and consisting of Miocene carbonate rocks with a series of coastal terraces of Pliocene and Quaternary carbonates and siliciclastic dunes. Inland escarpments, representing former sea cliffs, and deep valleys cutting the limbs of the anticlinal ridge host many cave entrances at a variety of elevations. The lowest unit, the Mandu Formation, a chalky and marly limestone, contains many tafoni (pseudokarst) caves with simple, singlechamber plans and widths up to 15 m or more and height up to 10 m. The higher, purer Miocene limestones and the younger Pliocene and Pleistocene coastal terrace limestones host numerous flank margin caves from 300 m elevation in the Miocene rocks to sea level in the Quaternary rocks. These caves have entrances up to 30 m wide and heights of 6 m, with single-chamber caves being common, but complex caves are also present. Some caves are entered by small entrances that lead to large phreatic chambers, which eliminates both sea cave and tafoni as possible explanations. The close association of these caves with sea cliffs and incised valleys argues against a deep hypogene origin, which would leave a cave pattern unrelated to the surface configuration. Miocene uplift tapered off into the Pliocene. The flank margin caves in the paleo sea cliffs represent the outcome of the interplay of tectonic activity and glacioeustasy over a 300 m vertical range, with lowstands causing valley incision, while highstands raised the fresh-water lens and allowed cave development in the valley walls. Cave development began with the first tectonic-driven subaerial exposure in the Miocene and continued through to the last Pleistocene interglacial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dingoes are a likely contributor to late Holocene Australian archaeological sites and distinguishing bone refuse resulting from either human meals or dingo scavenging is a well-recognised problem. To date, little research has been undertaken to differentiate bone modifications caused by different Australian carnivores in archaeological assemblages. In addition, inconsistencies have been found between observations recorded from captive and wild contexts, confounding attempts to use the bone refuse of captive dingos as reference material for the interpretation of archaeological assemblages. It has been suggested that the best results in identifying predators are achieved by combining an analysis of tooth marks with fragmentation patterns. In order to identify dingo ‘signature patterns’ of modification and whether results vary between captive and wild populations, 31 wild and 25 captive scats were disaggregated and analysed. Consistent lengths and breadths of dingo tooth pits on bone from the scats suggest that pits are a good indicator of dingo bone modification, particularly when used in conjunction with fragmentation patterns. Bone deposits from the late Holocene site Witchcliffe Rock Shelter in southwestern Australia, were used as a case study to test the tooth mark and fragmentation patterns identified in the actualistic studies. High levels of fragmentation alongside the presence of tooth pits consistent with those of dingoes suggest that they contributed to the multi-patterned faunal assemblage. Further research to identify signature modification patterns of other Australian carnivores is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A small fragment of a carefully shaped wooden artefact was recovered from Riwi Cave (south central Kimberley, Western Australia) during 2013 excavations. Directly dated to 670 ± 20 BP, analysis of the artefact’s wood taxon, morphology, manufacturing traces, use wear, and residues, in addition to comparison with ethnographic examples of wooden technology from the Kimberley region, allowed for the identification of the tool from which it originated: a boomerang. In particular, this artefact most closely resembles the trailing tip of a hooked boomerang, providing rare insights into the presence of these iconic fighting and ceremonial items in the Kimberley some 600 years ago. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The rare recovery of hafting technology from archaeological deposits around the world prevents a clear picture of Palaeolithic hafting arrangements. Without the recovery of hafted stone tools, our understanding of this technology is limited to extrapolation from artefact morphology and ethnographic analogy, and such is the case in Australia. Here we present a direct date of 3160–2954 cal. BP, obtained from resin on a stone point recovered from Carpenters Gap 1 rockshelter in northern Western Australia. This artefact fits the description of point technology in Australia, being a retouched flake with converging margins, and provides the first direct date of hafting resin in situ on a stone tool from the Australian continent. The hafting arrangement of a stone point during the mid- to late Holocene is archaeologically visible for the first time in Australia. This point was hafted using resin adhesive as well as wound binding material. This rare artefact is used to discuss the current interpretations of technological change in the Holocene record of Australia and the direct dating process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preliminary results of test-pit excavations in Yurlu Kankala and Kariyarra Rockshelter demonstrate the repeated occupation of a topographically distinct 'island of high land', in the northeastern Pilbara by Aboriginal people from 45,000 years ago to historical times. These results are the first Pilbara Pleistocene dates from sites outside the Hamersley Range and confirm occupation of this region prior to that in the central and western Pilbara and, at Yurlu Kankala, through the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). A third excavated site, Kunpaja Cave, provides evidence of inland Pilbara occupation through climatic amelioration following the LGM. All three sites are large, highly visible shelters located on ridges or hills, with commanding views over the surrounding land and access to major water sources. It is suggested that these factors played a key role in the discovery and occupation of Yurlu Kankala and Karriyarra Rockshelter by some of the Pilbara's first settlers, and of Kunpaja Cave as people expanded their territories as the climatic conditions of the LGM changed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mulka's Cave is a decorated granite boulder in southwest Australia that has been the focus of archaeological interest for several decades. Following a test excavation, Bowdler et al. (1989) argued that initial occupation of the site occurred around 500 BP, though Gunn (2006) suggested that the visible rock art was created much earlier, from 3000-2000 BP. Re-excavation of Mulka's Cave was not feasible owing to extensive erosion having destroyed the deposit; however, material excavated by Bowdler et al. (1989) was available for additional analysis, including further radiocarbon dating. The nearby Camping Area artefact concentration was also excavated and dated. The new series of radiocarbon dates demonstrate that the cave was visited by 8000 cal. BP and the Camping Area before 6000 cal. BP. Occupation of Mulka's Cave therefore pre-dates not only previously suggested dates for this site, but also those available for all other southwest rock art sites. Rates of artefact discard and sedimentation suggest that early occupation was comparatively sporadic, especially inside the cave, but that utilisation of the cave and surrounds may have intensified markedly in the last 1500 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carpenters Gap 3 (CG3), a limestone cave and shelter complex in the Napier Range, Western Australia, was occupied by Aboriginal people intermittently from over 30,000 years ago through to the historic period. Excavations at CG3 provide only slight evidence for occupation following first settlement in the late Pleistocene. Analysis of the radiocarbon dates indicates that following this there was a hiatus in occupation during the Last Glacial Maximum. In common with most Australian sites, the evidence for occupation increases sharply from the mid-Holocene. Faunal remains, interpreted predominantly as the remains of people's meals, all suggest foraging of the immediate surroundings throughout the entire period of occupation. Fragments of baler shell and scaphopod beads are present from the early Holocene, suggesting movement of high value goods from the coast (over 200 km distant). Flakes from edge-ground axes recovered from occupation units dated to approximately 33,000 cal. BP, when overall artefact numbers are low, suggest that these tools formed an important component of the lithic repertoire at this time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most sampling of troglofauna occurs in caves but troglofauna species are widespread across the vadose zone in Western Australia in iron ore deposits and calcretes. Other than in karstic calcrete, the subterranean spaces in the Western Australian vadose zone are small and often of similar size to the troglofauna inhabiting them. Here we describe how troglofauna can be sampled in the vadose zone using a technique called scraping, in which a haul net is dropped down a hole drilled for geological exploration. We analysed of the results of 10,895 sampling events in which both the scraping and trapping techniques were used. In the Pilbara region of Western Australia, where most of the fieldwork occurred, scraping collected approximately three-quarters more troglofaunal animals than trapping and more than twice as many troglofauna species per sample. Most orders of troglofauna were collected in greater numbers by scraping than trapping. However, the yields from both troglofauna sampling techniques are low and, even when the results of both techniques are combined to constitute a single unit of sample effort, the currently prescribed effort for environmental impact assessment will document only about half the species present at a site. It is suggested that a larger number of samples should be collected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2008 researchers from the Australian National University's Archaeology and Natural History Department and Flinders University's Program in Maritime Archaeology recorded nine non-Indigenous watercraft rock art images in a rock-shelter in the Wellington Range of north western Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. During the project it was recognised that one of the missing elements of interpreting watercraft in rock art was a comprehensive analytical framework that can be tested and reproduced. The development of such a framework can be used by future researchers to begin addressing the larger issues and considerations represented in non-Indigenous watercraft depictions across Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of how cave drip-water discharge responds to recharge events is fundamental to evaluating the potential of actively forming speleothems as high-resolution climate archives. Most previous research has focused on caves of the Northern Hemisphere middle latitudes, where recharge is strongly seasonal. Few studies have explored drip-water behaviour from regions where the expected seasonal rainfall pattern is significantly perturbed on an irregular basis by changing regional atmospheric circulation patterns. Here. we report the results of a 4-year study of cave drip-water-climate relationships from two caves in eastern Australia. The discharge of 10 drip sites located beneath bedrock thicknesses of 12, 22 and 45 m was monitored either continuously (using automated infrared sensors) or at discrete approximately monthly intervals and compared with local rainfall and water balance data. The study period traversed two major droughts, including the severe 2002-2003 El Niño. Drips at 12 and 22 m depths responded almost simultaneously to individual recharge events, although the time lag between individual events varied according to the volume of recharge and pre-event storage. Overall, a steady decline in discharge is evident through the moisture-deficit period, with increased flows through phases of positive water balance. Speleothems growing at these and similar shallow-chamber sites have potential for reconstructing palaeo-rainfall trends at high-resolution, although the highly variable nature of year-to-year recharge would make it difficult to obtain data on a calendrical time-scale. Drips at 45 m depth did not respond consistently to individual recharge events and displayed hydrological behaviour markedly dissimilar to one another and to the near-surface drip sites, indicating great complexity in karst architecture and the absence of fissure flow. Although speleothems at this depth may well preserve information on longer-term rainfall trends, their potential to encode a palaeo-rainfall variability signal at interannual resolution is poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Australian members of the subgenus, Sinella (Coecobrya) Yosii, are revised. A new species from Western Australia, Queensland, and the Northern Territory, Sinella (Coecobrya) tropicalis sp. nov., is described, Sinella (Coecobrya) tenebricosa Folsom, 1902 is recorded from Australia for the first time, and new records of Sinella (Coecobrya) communis Chen and Christiansen, 1997 are documented. Sinella (Coecobrya) caeca Schött, 1896 is considered a dubious record from Australia. A key is provided to the three known Australian species and a summary given of all dorsal and lateral chaetal patterns found on the fourth abdominal segment of subgenera Sinella Brook, 1882 and Coecobrya Yosii, 1956. The biogeography of the subgenus is described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subsurface waters in Australia span massive aquifers to small cave streams and fluctuating hyporheic zones where stream water exchanges with groundwater. Groundwater resources have been exploited heavily, especially in the arid zone, and usage is predicted to increase. Ironically, preliminary surveys of some groundwater habitats in arid northwestern Australia indicate an extraordinarily diverse subsurface fauna with apparently highly localised distributions. Elsewhere in Australia, changes to river flows, gravel extraction, and poorly managed catchment land uses have altered the extent and ecological integrity of the hyporheic zone in most gravel and sand bed rivers. In many cave streams and karst aquifers, sedimentation, pollution and changes to the water table have caused extinction or reduction of the dependent biodiversity. Most of these subsurface habitats harbour ancient groups absent from surface waters (relictual stygofauna) and are 'hotspots' of unexpected aquatic biodiversity. Unfortunately, our knowledge of the regional extent of this biodiversity and its functional significance is fragmentary. Current threats vary according to the subsurface habitat. For example, lowering of the water table in calcrete aquifers by water abstraction may jeopardise isolated, endemic relictual faunas in Australia's arid zone whereas in many gravel bed rivers, siltation threatens the biodiversity and filtration capacity of the hyporheic zone. Groundwaters in karst, especially cave streams and their dependent fauna, are vulnerable to impacts in their surface catchments but these linkages are seldom obvious. Recognition of the intimate linkages between groundwater and many surface ecosystems has led recently to policies aimed at protecting 'Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems' in Australia. However, such protection is hampered by our scant taxonomic and ecological knowledge of these ecosystems. Successful conservation and management of groundwaters and their dependent ecosystems rely on better public understanding of their unique fauna and 'ecosystem services,' further research on subsurface processes and taxonomy, and legislative protection of rare and threatened subterranean communities and species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three new species of Paratemnopteryx Saussure (Blattellidae) cockroaches from Australia are described. One surface dwelling species, P. rosensis, was collected from south-east Queensland, and two cavernicolous species, P. kookabinnensis and P. weinsteini, were collected from central Western Australia and north-east Queensland respectively. All three species demonstrate eye and wing reduction, consistent with adaptation to a homogeneous environment. P. weinsteini and P. rosensis species demonstrate sexual wing dimorphism, which is most clear in the former. P. weinsteini is very similar to P. rosensis, and they are probably sister species. I suggest that some surface dwelling species may have given rise to cavernicolous species as a result of isolation in moist refugia during periods of increasing aridity in Australia in the late Cenozoic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the characteristics of archaeological cave sites in Australia. Alleviation of dietary stress through bone ingestion facilitation; Recognition of the agent responsible for bone reduction; Interpretation of vertebrate mammalian behavior.

The lava tubes at Undara became internationally recognised in the late 1980s, when 24 species of terrestrial cave-adapted invertebrates (troglobionts) were recorded from Bayliss Cave, making it one of the 20 richest known cave communities in the world at the time. Over the last decades, several of the Undara species have been taxonomically described and a great deal of research has been undertaken in other parts of Australia, which has revealed additional subterranean hotspots. It is therefore timely to update the list of Undara cave fauna, and to evaluate the Undara cave system in relation to other subterranean hotspots in Australia. The updated species list was compiled from the published literature and museum databases. Minimally, 78 species of arthropods have been recorded from 17 lava tube caves in the Undara Basalt. Sixteen species have been taxonomically described; 30 identified to genus and/or morpho-species; and 32 remain unidentified to species or genus level. Thirty troglobionts and one stygobiont species were recorded. Seven caves harboured obligate subterranean species; Bayliss Cave harboured the most obligate subterranean species: 23 troglobionts and one stygobiont. All these caves contained deep zone environments with high humidity, of which three also contained 'bad air' (CO2). The unique combination of geomorphic structure and environmental parameters (high humidity) and multiple energy sources (tree roots, bats and guano, organic material wash-in) are the main factors responsible for Bayliss Cave's extraordinary local richness. Further research is needed to investigate CO2 as a factor influencing troglobiont richness and distribution in 'bad air' caves. Undara remains the richest subterranean hotspot in humid tropical Australia; however, significantly richer subterranean assemblages are found in arid and semi-arid calcrete aquifers, karst and iron-ore terrains, mostly in Western Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]