The Bonneville Estates Rockshelter rodent fauna and changes in Late Pleistocene–Middle Holocene climates and biogeography in the Northern Bonneville Basin, USA

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dave N. Schmitt ◽  
Karen D. Lupo
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Salt Lake ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Pocket Gopher ◽  
Middle Holocene ◽  
Thomomys Talpoides ◽  
Neotoma Cinerea ◽  
Bonneville Basin ◽  
Desert Woodrats

AbstractExcavations at Bonneville Estates Rockshelter, Nevada recovered rodent remains from stratified deposits spanning the past ca. 12,500 14C yr BP (14,800 cal yr BP). Specimens from horizons dating to the late Pleistocene and early Holocene include species adapted to montane and moist and cool habitats, including yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) and bushy-tailed woodrat (Neotoma cinerea). Shortly after 9000 14C BP (10,200 cal yr BP) these mammals became locally extinct, or nearly so, taxonomic diversity declined, and the region became dominated by desert woodrats (Neotoma lepida) and other species well-adapted to xeric, low-elevation settings. The timing and nature of changes in the Bonneville Estates rodent fauna are similar to records reported from nearby Homestead and Camels Back caves and provide corroborative data on terminal Pleistocene–early Holocene environments and mammalian responses to middle Holocene desertification. Moreover, the presence of northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides) at Bonneville Estates adds to a sparse regional record for that species and similar to Homestead Cave, it appears that the ca. 9500 14C yr BP (10,800 cal yr BP) replacement of the northern pocket gopher by Botta's pocket gopher in the Great Salt Lake Desert vicinity was also in response to climate change.

Late Pleistocene and early Holocene rivers and wetlands in the Bonneville basin of western North America

2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles G. Oviatt ◽  
David B. Madsen ◽  
Dave N. Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Great Basin ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Coarse Sand ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
River Channels ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Lake Bonneville ◽  
River Bed ◽  
Bonneville Basin

AbstractField investigations at Dugway Proving Ground in western Utah have produced new data on the chronology and human occupation of late Pleistocene and early Holocene lakes, rivers, and wetlands in the Lake Bonneville basin. We have classified paleo-river channels of these ages as “gravel channels” and “sand channels.” Gravel channels are straight to curved, digitate, and have abrupt bulbous ends. They are composed of fine gravel and coarse sand, and are topographically inverted (i.e., they stand higher than the surrounding mudflats). Sand channels are younger and sand filled, with well-developed meander-scroll morphology that is truncated by deflated mudflat surfaces. Gravel channels were formed by a river that originated as overflow from the Sevier basin along the Old River Bed during the late regressive phases of Lake Bonneville (after 12,500 and prior to 11,000 14C yr B.P.). Dated samples from sand channels and associated fluvial overbank and wetland deposits range in age from 11,000 to 8800 14C yr B.P., and are probably related to continued Sevier-basin overflow and to groundwater discharge. Paleoarchaic foragers occupied numerous sites on gravel-channel landforms and adjacent to sand channels in the extensive early Holocene wetland habitats. Reworking of tools and limited toolstone diversity is consistent with theoretical models suggesting Paleoarchaic foragers in the Old River Bed delta were less mobile than elsewhere in the Great Basin.

scholarly journals Radiocarbon, Soil, and Artifact Chronologies for An Early Southern Oregon Coastal Site

Radiocarbon ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta Hall ◽  
Loren G Davis ◽  
Samuel Willis ◽  
Matthew Fillmore
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Texture Classification ◽  
Archaeological Site ◽  
Particle Size Analysis ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Size Analysis ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Middle Holocene ◽  
History Of

Radiocarbon dates together with geoarchaeological, soil, and lithic analyses are presented to describe archaeological site 35-CS-9 in Bandon Ocean Wayside State Park, Oregon, northwestern USA. One of the few Oregon middle-Holocene coastal sites that includes sediments and artifacts dating to the early Holocene and possibly to the late Pleistocene, it was recorded in 1951 and surface surveyed by archaeologists in 1975, 1986, and 1991, but its depth and antiquity were not tested. In February 2002, we studied the site's stratigraphy and sediments and described 8 strata from the aeolian surface to bedrock at 350 cm depth. Soil samples taken from a cut bank for texture classification, particle size analysis, pH, carbon content, and chemical analysis suggested that the site represented a complete history of Holocene deposits. Excavation of 2 test units in August 2002 uncovered substantial lithic and charcoal remains that confirm a protracted middle-Holocene occupation and suggest that human occupation began in the early Holocene. Charcoal recovered at 235–245 cm dated to 11,000 14C BP, and the deepest lithic artifact was recovered in a level at 215–225 cm. Whether the human occupation was continuous throughout the Holocene, and whether it began in the early Holocene or in the late Pleistocene, can only be determined with further excavations.

The Underwater Archaeology of Paleolandscapes, Apalachee Bay, Florida

2004 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael K. Faught
Keyword(s):  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Settlement Patterns ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Faunal Remains ◽  
Middle Holocene ◽  
Early Archaic ◽  
Archaeological Methods ◽  
Middle Archaic ◽  
Aucilla River

Submerged prehistoric sites investigated in northwest Florida along the margins of the drowned Aucilla River channel (or PaleoAucilla) extend our understanding of prehistoric settlement patterns and paleolandscape utilization. Bifacial and unifacial tools indicate Late Paleoindian and Early Archaic logistical activities at these sites, as well as later Middle Archaic occupations. Other evidence for terrestrial conditions at these sites include extinct and extant terrestrial faunal remains, in-place tree stumps, and possible eroded middle Holocene shell middens. This report outlines the methodologies used for site investigations, and then discusses the geomorphic setting, character, cultural-historical connections, and timing of full inundation for these offshore sites. During late Pleistocene and early Holocene times, the coastline was much farther out on the continental shelf, and this segment of the PaleoAucilla was forested and well inland. Later, during the middle Holocene stages of transgression, the segment was more of a wide grassy marsh with brackish water tidal creeks and oysters. In this continental shelf setting, submerged archaeological sites remain in clustered arrays accessible by underwater archaeological methods, and the data provide a critical supplement to our present understanding of late Pleistocene and early Holocene settlement patterns and paleolandscape utilization.

Small-Mammal Data on Early and Middle Holocene Climates and Biotic Communities in the Bonneville Basin, USA

2002 ◽  
Vol 58 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dave N. Schmitt ◽  
David B. Madsen ◽  
Karen D. Lupo
Keyword(s):  
Small Mammal ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Marmota Flaviventris ◽  
Middle Holocene ◽  
Brachylagus Idahoensis ◽  
Neotoma Lepida ◽  
Lepus Californicus ◽  
Bonneville Basin ◽  
Early And Middle Holocene

AbstractArchaeological investigations in Camels Back Cave, western Utah, recovered a series of small-mammal bone assemblages from stratified deposits dating between ca. 12,000 and 500 14C yr B.P. The cave's early Holocene fauna includes a number of species adapted to montane or mesic habitats containing grasses and/or sagebrush (e.g., Lepus townsendii, Marmota flaviventris, Reithrodontomys megalotis, and Brachylagus idahoensis) which suggest that the region was relatively cool and moist until after 8800 14C yr B.P. Between ca. 8600 and 8100 14C yr B.P. these mammals became locally extinct, taxonomic diversity declined, and there was an increase in species well-adapted to xeric, low-elevation habitats, including ground squirrels, Lepus californicus and Neotoma lepida. The early small-mammal record from Camels Back Cave is similar to the 11,300–6000 14C yr B.P. mammalian sequence from Homestead Cave, northwestern Utah, and provides corroborative data on Bonneville Basin paleoenvironments and mammalian responses to middle Holocene desertification.

Chemistry, radiocarbon ages, and development of a subtropical acid peat in Queensland, Australia

Soil Research ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelyn S. Krull ◽  
Clifford H. Thompson ◽  
Jan O. Skjemstad
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
Fire Frequency ◽  
Relative Increase ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Geochemical Data ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Δ13c Values ◽  
Middle Holocene ◽  
14C Age

A subtropical peat, developed on a costal plain in southern Queensland, has been studied with respect to its morphology, radiocarbon (14C) age, total organic carbon (C) content, stable C isotopic (δ13C) values, and spectroscopic characteristics (13C-NMR and FTIR). The combination of techniques allowed for an interpretation of changes in peat development over time, an assessment of paleoclimatic changes that apparently occurred during peat growth, and a comparison with perched lake sediments on Fraser Island.Geochemical data from the peat showed a relative increase in abundance of aromatic C (which may include charcoal) from the Pleistocene to the early Holocene and much decreased abundances of aromatic C thereafter. This trend may be due to changes in fire frequency from the Pleistocene–early Holocene (high fire frequency) to the early and middle Holocene (relatively low fire frequency). This interpretation is consistent with other published data from this area, showing increased aridity, increased fire frequency and dominance of sclerophyll forest during the late Pleistocene–early Holocene.Another significant geochemical change in the acid peat occurred within the middle to late Holocene. This period is characterised by highly 13C-depleted organic matter and a comparably high alkyl C (lipid) content. These data are interpreted as indicating wetter and year-round waterlogged conditions, possibly associated with poor drainage during the Holocene sea level maximum c. 5500–3000 years BP. By comparison, abundance of alkyl C decreased and δ13C values increased in the latest Holocene. The geochemical data from the acid peat point to the occurrence of a dry phase during the late Pleistocene to early Holocene and a wet phase in the middle to late Holocene, followed by another dry phase. These data correspond well with published data of 2 phases of dune formation (dry periods) in the early to middle Holocene and in the latest Holocene for North Queensland.

scholarly journals Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene aeolian deposits of Tasmania and their climatic implications – Corrigendum

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Peter D. McIntosh ◽  
Christina Neudorf ◽  
Olav B. Lian ◽  
Adrian J. Slee ◽  
Brianna Walker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Aeolian Deposits

A multi-proxy reconstruction of climate during the late-Pleistocene to early Holocene transition in the northeastern, USA

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Laurie D. Grigg ◽  
Kevin J. Engle ◽  
Alison J. Smith ◽  
Bryan N. Shuman ◽  
Maximilian B. Mandl
Keyword(s):  
Late Pleistocene ◽  
Climatic Variability ◽  
Warming Trend ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Environmental Preferences ◽  
The North ◽  
Show Evidence ◽  
Dry Conditions ◽  
Components Analysis

Abstract A multiproxy record from Twin Ponds, VT, is used to reconstruct climatic variability during the late Pleistocene to early Holocene transition. Pollen, ostracodes, δ18O, and lithologic records from 13.5 to 9.0 cal ka BP are presented. Pollen- and ostracode-inferred climatic reconstructions are based on individual species’ environmental preferences and the modern analog technique. Principal components analysis of all proxies highlights the overall warming trend and centennial-scale climatic variability. During the Younger Dryas cooling event (YD), multiple proxies show evidence for cold winter conditions and increasing seasonality after 12.5 cal ka BP. The early Holocene shows an initial phase of rapid warming with a brief cold interval at 11.5 cal ka BP, followed by a more gradual warming; a cool, wet period from 11.2 to 10.8 cal ka BP; and cool, dry conditions from 10.8 to 10.2 cal ka BP. The record ends with steady warming and increasing moisture. Post-YD climatic variability has been observed at other sites in the northeastern United States and points to continued instability in the North Atlantic during the final phases of deglaciation.

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