Sterkfontein Caves
A dolomite cave system near Johannesburg that has produced some of the most important early hominin fossils.
A cave full of fossils
Sterkfontein is one of about a dozen fossil-bearing caves in the Cradle of Humankind. Lime miners broke into the caves in the 1890s and found bones in the rock. Scientists began systematic work in the 1930s.
The fossils lie in breccia, a cemented mix of rock, soil and bone that fell or was washed into the cave through openings in the roof.
Sterkfontein Caves at a glance
- Location
- about 50 km north-west of Johannesburg
- Rock
- dolomite, about 2.6 billion years old
- World Heritage
- since 1999, as part of the Fossil Hominid Sites of South Africa
- First adult Australopithecus found
- 1936
- Mrs Ples found
- 1947
- Little Foot
- found 1994–1997, shown in 2017
- Visitor centre
- Maropeng, about 10 km away
- Managed with
- University of the Witwatersrand
Mrs Ples and Little Foot
In 1947 Robert Broom and John Robinson blasted out a nearly complete skull of Australopithecus africanus. It became known as Mrs Ples and is a little over two million years old.
Little Foot is a nearly complete Australopithecus skeleton. Ron Clarke recognised the first foot bones in 1994 and spent about twenty years freeing the skeleton from the rock. One dating method puts it at about 3.67 million years, though this is debated.
The cave and Maropeng
The cave tour descends through large chambers to an underground lake. An exhibition at the entrance explains the geology and the fossils.
Maropeng, the official visitor centre of the Cradle of Humankind, is about ten kilometres away and has displays of original fossils at certain times.
Sterkfontein Caves in figures
In pictures
Select a photograph to enlarge it. Authors and licences are listed in the photo credits.
Before you go
Getting there
Sterkfontein is about an hour by car from Johannesburg or Pretoria. There is no regular public transport.
On the tour
Tours are guided and include many steps and some low passages. Wear closed shoes.
Good to know
The cave has been closed for periods after flooding. Check that tours are running before you travel.
Opening times, access rules and prices change. Confirm them before you travel: maropeng.co.za.
