Haasgat
| Haasgat Fossil Site, Cradle of Humankind | |
|---|---|
Location in Gauteng | |
| Location | Gauteng, South Africa |
| Nearest city | Broederstroom, South Africa |
| Coordinates | 25°51′31″S 27°50′9″E / 25.85861°S 27.83583°E |
| Established | Formally discovered in 1987 |
| Governing body | Cradle of Humankind Management Authority and private landowner |
Haasgat is a fossil-bearing cave system in the UNESCO-designated Cradle of Humankind in the Gauteng province in South Africa. It is located about 20 kilometres (12 mi) northeast of the hominin-bearing sites of Sterkfontein and Swartkrans and 60 kilometres (37 mi) north-northwest of Johannesburg. Haasgat is on private land and is not accessible by the public.
The cave system formed on the western slope of a narrow, north-south valley excised by a southeastern tributary of the Witwatersrandspruit River. As is the case with many of the dolomitic paleocaves in the region, the system was extensively mined for lime during the early 20th century. Although this mining obliterated the original cave entrance and parts of the system, the miners largely followed the original contours of the system. As a result, Haasgat is somewhat unusual in maintaining both the original roof and parietal contours, as well as remnant fossiliferous bands of calcified sediments throughout the ~100m long tunnel that comprises the modern cave.