True colours: Analysing apparent sedimentary divisions in the stratigraphic sequence of Umhlatuzana rockshelter (South Africa) using Munsell-based colour determinations

A lateral offset in sediment colour in the Pleistocene archaeological sequence of Umhlatuzana has been interpreted as representing large-scale sediment movement (Kaplan 1990). Renewed excavations suggest the archaeological materials are in situ based on multiple lines of evidence (Sifogeorgaki et al. 2020). We analyse the sediment colour from samples across the Umhlatuzana sequence in laboratory conditions to demonstrate homogeneous colour of the materials comprising the sequence. We interpret the observed colour difference in the Pleistocene deposits as the result of the site’s hydraulic environment.