CAVE BRECCIA WITH CAVE BEAR BONES - Over 100,000 years old - South Wales
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Three pieces with bones of cave bear
Over 100,000 years old
Penderyn Quarry, Aberdare,
South Wales
Bone breccias are sedimentary rocks containing bone fragments. They occur in limestone caves and provide unique evidence of animals that occupied the caves during the Ice Age.
Bone breccias are sedimentary rocks containing bone fragments. They occur in limestone caves and provide unique evidence of animals that occupied the caves during the Ice Age.
These three samples contain bones of an extinct cave bear, thought to be Ursus deningeri. These bears mostly used caves for hibernation. It was not uncommon for a bear to die during winter and over centuries their bones would accumulate on the cave floor to be covered with layers of mud, eventually forming a cave breccia.
These pieces are from an old collection and were collected in 1988 from Penderyn quarry, which worked the limestone for aggregate. Unfortunately the cave containing the breccia was completely quarried away before its potential scientific importance was realised.
These pieces are from an old collection and were collected in 1988 from Penderyn quarry, which worked the limestone for aggregate. Unfortunately the cave containing the breccia was completely quarried away before its potential scientific importance was realised.
Click on a picture for a larger image
Size: largest piece 10 centimetres long
Weight: 248 grams (total weight)
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