The Entrance

A shaft of light marks a narrow opening in dolomitic limestone leading into an underground chamber of the Sterkfontein karst system in the Cradle of Humankind. Breccia layers formed during the late Pliocene (3.5–2.5 million years) and early Pleistocene (2.5–0.5 million years) preserved bones within the rock. Excavations uncovered hominins such as Australopithecus africanus, making this cave central to understanding early human evolution in southern Africa.