Days in caves - Pleistocene fossils hunting - Southeast Asia

[vietnamfossil]

Hi everyone!

This thread is dedicated to our Southeast asis fossil cave adventures and finds. One of the important sites for the Stegodon - Pongo - Ailuropoda fauna of the Pleistocene. This not only just fossils but also the Paleolithic and Neolithic found. 

 

Following this and I wil explain more experiment on IDyng the cave fossils and some basic things to know the age of them. 

 

Hope you guys enjoy it!

 

This is my first trip in North Viet Nm. 

 

Cave entrance (usually Pleistocene cave have very small entrance)

 

 

 

Just 15 minutes and I discovered a hominid tooth. It not my first time but I really love that moments. I use to found mammals before but just normal deer fossils. 

 

Looking for fossils into these cave deposites and cave breccia is not easy

 

 

[vietnamfossil]

One afternoon last and we just found only 1 hominid tooth and some land snail fossils. Time up and I had to go back to work but my friend stayed for 2 more days and he found a sambar deer (rusa unicolor) tooth 

 

Edited August 29, 2021 by vietnamfossil

[t-tree]

Thank-you for showing your cave adventure and the tooth.

 

John

[Ludwigia]

Fascinating.

[vietnamfossil]

Thanks guy ! 
 

Here are both of them cleaning. The hominid tooth I decided to keep the matrix.

[vietnamfossil]

Another new cave discover. These fossil touch in very hard cave breccia, dating about late Pleistocene. These are Sambar deer (rusa/cervus unicolor) and Bovidae.

 

Edited September 1, 2021 by vietnamfossil

[RuMert]

This is something new! Very interesting

[FossilDAWG]

Interesting.  I assume there are no laws regulating removal of fossils from caves, or damaging cave structures?  Caves in the US are much more regulated.

 

Don

[vietnamfossil]

Thank you guys! I'm very happy that you guys enjoying my journey.

 

 

14 hours ago, FossilDAWG said:

Interesting.  I assume there are no laws regulating removal of fossils from caves, or damaging cave structures?  Caves in the US are much more regulated.

 

Don

Dear Don!

It depend on which cave, some caves if it have been listed as national monument, you can have a problem. But in my country the rule not clear at all. And people do stupid things to make money as well. Like the biggest cave Son Doong they tried to destroy the forest and make a cable car but a lot of people fight and it stopped. 

I send you this photo of satelite. 10 years ago it still have a lot of cave systems which contained a rich fossils deposits and what is now. All gone !

 

Le

 

 

Edited September 2, 2021 by vietnamfossil

[vietnamfossil]

Some fun with cave breccia, I put some falling cave breccia from the roof into compound of acid acetic (20%) and water. Let have a look here 

[vietnamfossil]

After 1 night, take out the liquid and soft for the fossils, I put a little water to make waves for easy to find out Fossils 

[vietnamfossil]

And here What we have: Microfossils!

some bone fragments, leg bone, a claw of bird and an incisor of muridae! 
 

[vietnamfossil]

Look closer 

 

[vietnamfossil]

Some of my friend bring me to the cave in Malay, driving 2hrs from KualaLumpur and see what I have discovered inside. Normally on internet  you see the mammoth hunter in openning site, for me the cave deposits and brecia is my playground in Southeast Asia. 

 

 

Edited August 28, 2022 by vietnamfossil

[vietnamfossil]

Elephas, Stegodon and other fauna tooth can find in the cave. And it is a place that you would looking for primate fossil. 

 

[Ludwigia]

Interesting. How is it supposed that fossils from such a large mammal as a mammoth got into this cave? How deep is the exposure from the entrance and how large is the entrance??

[vietnamfossil]

51 minutes ago, Ludwigia said:

Interesting. How is it supposed that fossils from such a large mammal as a mammoth got into this cave? How deep is the exposure from the entrance and how large is the entrance??

In Southeast Asia we don't have mammoth but there are numerous of mammoth relationship tooth: the Elephas - Asian elephant. 

The tooth I post photo is a very narrow chamber which you need to crowling on the floor, the entrance will depend but the cave location can tell you the age of the fossil. Normally high cave entrance usually with big entrance containing Mid Pleistocene fossil. Low cave with small entrance usually the fossil dating from late Mid Pleistocene to terminal Pleistocene. 

The photo of Elephas tooth that you need to go deep inside the cave about over 100 meters, suggest these fossil yeild here because of flooding.