FINAL PROSPECTING REPORT PORTION 4 & A PORTION OF PORTION 2 OF THE FARM ELANDSFONTEIN 349 NEAR HOPEFIELD WESTERN CAPE Prepared for: HERITAGE WESTERN CAPE Applicant: ELANDSFONTEIN EXPLORATION AND MINING (PTY) LTD Att: Mr Philip Le Roux 314 Starfish Way Melkbosstrand E-mail: [email protected] By Jonathan Kaplan Agency for Cultural Resource Management 5 Stuart Road Rondebosch 7700 Ph/Fax: 021 685 7589 Mobile: 082 321 0172 E-mail: [email protected] OCTOBER 2014 Final prospecting report, proposed mining on Ptn 4 & Ptn of Ptn 2 of Elandsfontein 349 Table of contents Page 1. INTRODUCTION 2 2. THE PROPOSAL 2 3. THE STUDY SITE 5 4. HERITAGE CONTEXT 5 4.1 Archaeology 5 4.2 Palaeontology 6 5. PROSPECTING 7 5.1 2013 Prospecting programme 7 5.2 2014 Prospecting programme 8 5.3 Grain size analysis 9 6. OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUTURE RESEARCH 11 6.1 Mio-Pleistocene 11 6.2 Pleistocene 12 7. CONCLUSIONS 13 8. REFERENCES 13 Appendix I. Braun, D. 2013. Impact Assessment Report of mining on Pleistocene archaeology and palaeontology, Portion 4 and 2 of Elandsfontein Farm 349, Western Cape. Unpublished report prepared for Elandsfontein Exploration and Mining (Pty) Ltd. Archaeology Department, University of Cape Town. Appendix II. Roberts, D. & Braun, D. R. 2014. Report on the Survey of Drilling Areas at Elandsfontein Farm (349). Unpublished report. Appendix III. Pepler, B. 2014a. Palaeontological suggestion for the EEM Phosphate Mine at Elandsfontein. Unpublished report. Appendix IV. Pepler, B. 2014b. Grain size analysis from the Elandsfontein Phosphate Project. Unpublished report. ACRM 1 Final prospecting report, proposed mining on Ptn 4 & Ptn of Ptn 2 of Elandsfontein 349 1. INTRODUCTION This report describes the results of prospecting activities undertaken on Portion 4 and a Portion of Portion 2 of the Farm Elandsfontein No. 349 near Langebaan in the Sandveld region of the Western Cape (Figure 1). The aim of the report is to enable Heritage Western Cape (HWC) to inform on the studies required for a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) for proposed mining operations on the affected landholdings. Proposed mining on Farm 349 is subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process that is currently being undertaken by Braaf Environmental Consultants. The HIA forms part of the EIA process. A HIA is a prerequisite for a mining right application within the proposed mining area. The report fulfils some of the requirements contained in a Heritage Agreement signed between the Provincial Heritage Authority (i.e. HWC), and Elandsfontein Exploration Mining (Pty) Ltd, in January 2014. Figure 1. Locality map indicating the proposed mining application area (hatched polygon). 2. THE PROPOSAL The applicant, Elandsfontein Exploration Mining (Pty) Ltd (EEM), is currently in the process of applying for a mining right licence on Portion 4 and a Portion of Portion 2 of Farm 349. The resource to be mined is phosphate, which is used mainly for the production of chemical fertilizer. A drilling programme undertaken by SAMANCOR in the 1980s on Farm 349/4 ACRM 2 Final prospecting report, proposed mining on Ptn 4 & Ptn of Ptn 2 of Elandsfontein 349 established that significant high grade deposits occur across this portion of the farm (Braaf 2014; Pepler 2010). The proposed mining and activity area (i. e. pit & plant) is estimated at between 500 - 550ha in extent and includes associated infrastructure such as a storm water dam, concentrator, mine buildings (e.g. workshops, offices, training centre, laboratory), processing plant, conveyor from pit to plant, and internal gravel roads (Figures 2 & 3). The proposed method of mining is open pit strip mining using a combination of truck and shovel, and conveyor belts to extract the phosphate ore. No blasting will be done. The current mine plan is based on strips with widths of 50m x 750m long. Top soil and over- burden will be transported from the pit via a mobile conveyor network and stockpiled, while the processed ore will be hauled by conventional trucks to the Port of Saldanha Bay, for shipment overseas. Associated activities include a 9km long tarred access road from the R45/Hopefield Road to the plant site, as well as a 132kV overhead powerline. The proposed access road from the R45 will follow existing servitudes/farm road tracks. An EIA for the overhead powerline will be subject to a separate process. The proposed mine area is located about 2 kms west of the famous `Elandsfontein Fossil Site’ which is known for producing Middle Stone Age (MSA) Pleistocene tools with associated fauna (bone) more than 200 000 years old (Goodwin 1953; Klein 1988; Braun & Archer 2010). The `Saldanha’ or `Hopefield Man’ skullcap from the fossil site is the oldest known human in the Cape, with a date between 700 000 and 400 000 years ago (Drennan 1953, 1954; Singer & Wymer 1968). Early Stone Age (ESA) tools more than 1 million years old have also been found on the ancient fossil floors (or palaeosoils), exposed by wind erosion. The fossil site is only one of a few localities in South Africa that preserves both archaeological and organic remains (bones) in an open air context (Braun 2014, 2013). Dr David Braun from the University of Cape Town, who currently holds the excavation permit for the Fossil Site has described the area as `one of the richest sites of its kind in Africa’ (Bluff & Hart 2010:10). The Fossil Site (on Portion 2 of Farm 349) is protected under Section 35 of the National Heritage Resources Act (Act No. 29 of 1999). An application to nominate the Fossil Site a Grade 2, Provincial Heritage Site (PHS) is in the process of being finalized1. HWC are naturally concerned that proposed mining activities may impact negatively on buried, Pleistocene archaeological heritage, as well as on Mio-Pliocene (5 million year old) palaeontological heritage at greater depths. A co-operative Heritage Agreement signed in January, 2014 between HWC and the applicant (EEM) `recognises the national and international significance of the Elandsfontein Fossil Site’, and `agrees on procedures to be followed in the event of prospecting being approved by HWC…’ 1 Heritage Western Cape, Provincial Heritage Site Nomination Form (Draft), 21 February, 2014 ACRM 3 Final prospecting report, proposed mining on Ptn 4 & Ptn of Ptn 2 of Elandsfontein 349 Fossil site Figure 2. Portion 4 and Portion of Portion 2 of Farm 349. Footprint area for proposed mining and infrastructure Note: The powerline & proposed access road to the mine site from the R45 is not shown Figure 3. Conceptual layout plan of mine application area. ACRM 4 Final prospecting report, proposed mining on Ptn 4 & Ptn of Ptn 2 of Elandsfontein 349 3. THE STUDY SITE Farm 349 is located about 100 kms northwest of Cape Town, on the R27/West Coast Road. The Langebaan Lagoon lies, roughly 7kms southwest of the site. Access to the farm is via a board on the R27 marked `Elandsfontein’, about 10kms before the turnoff to Langebaan. The proposed mining area is flat and undulating, with a few isolated outcroppings of calcrete occurring on low dunes. There are no significant landscape features on the proposed development site. The proposed mining area is covered with very dense natural vegetation (mainly Saldanha Flat Strandveld & Hopefield Sand Fynbos), including some invasive species, and underlain by soft, loose windblown sands of the Witzand Formation (Figure 4). While there is very little surface stone covering the study site, nodules of calcrete occur in places. Most of the surrounding land use is game farming and large tracts of undeveloped agricultural land. There are no springs, pans, streams, or any other seasonal or permanent sources of water within the proposed application area. Some disturbance occurs but is mainly confined to moderate grazing and basic infrastructure (roads & fencing). Figure 4. View facing north west over the proposed application area. The photograph was taken from the trig beacon. Fragmented shellfish occurs on the calcrete covered kopje in the foreground. 4. HERITAGE CONTEXT 4.1 Archaeology The history of scientific research at Elandsfontein spans more than 60 years, with the initial survey of fossil and archaeological material taking place in the 1950s (Braun et al 2013). Internationally, it is one of the most recognised Pleistocene heritage sites in South Africa. The `Elandsfontein Fossil Beds’ are of global scientific importance (Pether 2013). The fossil site is only one of a few localities in South Africa that preserves both archaeological and organic remains (bones) in an in situ (open air) context, allowing archaeologists a unique opportunity to study the evolution of early modern humans and how they interacted with their environment more than 200 000 years ago (Braun 2014, 2013). New observations at the site indicate that the main assemblage at Elandsfontein may now be as old as ~1 million years (Braun 2014; Braun et al 2013). ACRM 5 Final prospecting report, proposed mining on Ptn 4 & Ptn of Ptn 2 of Elandsfontein 349 The context of fossil bones and artefacts in aeolian sands is well-illustrated by the `Elandsfontein Fossil Beds’ which include a sparse bone content in the uppermost Langebaan Formation, and a more persistent bone and artefact content in the overlying Springfontyn Formation sediments (Braun 2014; Braun & Roberts 2014, & refer to Figure 5). Current research suggests that if this ancient landscape extends outside of the (now stable) dunefield, that any artefacts or fossils recovered from it will be patchily distributed (Braun et al 2013), but that if fossils are encountered, they will likely be `numerous and densely concentrated’ (Braun 2013:5). While little is known about the Later Stone Age (LSA) Holocene archaeology in the area, Kaplan (2011) recorded relatively large numbers of microlithic LSA silcrete and quartz stone flakes on a limestone ridge on Farm 349, alongside the Eskom servitude that runs between the Fossil Site, and the proposed mining area.