Early Man in Arizona: The Pollen Evidence

1963 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul S. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
High Plains ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
Desert Grassland ◽  
Alluvial Deposits ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Radiocarbon Age ◽  
Pollen Content ◽  
History Of ◽  
Sulphur Spring

AbstractUnder the classic Bryan-Antevs model the climatic history of the Southwest has been divided into (1) pluvial, (2) early postpluvial or Anathermal, (3) mid-postpluvial or Altithermal, (4) late postpluvial or Medithermal. Pollen analysis of radiocarbon-dated pluvial deposits shows that the desert grassland of southern Arizona and the short grassland of the Texas High Plains were invaded by a pine forest or pine savanna during the last pluvial period. Sulphur Spring-age alluvial deposits at Double Adobe, dated as pluvial in age by Sayles and Antevs, do not contain the pine-pollen record associated with pluvial conditions elsewhere; six radiocarbon dates from deep alluvial deposits at Double Adobe range from 7756 to 9350 years B.P. On the basis of pollen content and radiocarbon-age estimates, the beds are of early postpluvial rather than pluvial age, and thus the Sulphur Spring-stage artifacts found there are also early postpluvial in age.Under the Bryan-Antevs model the Altithermal, 7500-4000 B.P., is considered an especially hot, dry period. Sediments associated with three radiocarbon dates within this interval contain slightly more pollen of mesic and hygric indicators than do sediments postdating the Altithermal. Interpreting the results literally, the Altithermal was wetter, not hotter and drier, than at present. The limitations of pollen analysis are not fully understood. But the traditional view of a hot, dry Altithermal in southern Arizona cannot be verified from fossil pollen evidence available to date.

scholarly journals Fluvial Sedimentology and Paleoecology of Holocene Alluvial Deposits, Red River, Manitoba

2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Nielsen ◽  
W. Brian McKillop ◽  
Glen G. Conley
Keyword(s):  
Late Holocene ◽  
Red River ◽  
Present Position ◽  
Lake Agassiz ◽  
Alluvial Deposits ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
The North ◽  
Mollusc Species ◽  
History Of ◽  
Overbank Sedimentation

ABSTRACT Stratigraphie and paleoecological analyses at five sections, together with age determinations based on 19 previously published and 21 new radiocarbon dates, provide a detailed late Holocene history of the Red River, Manitoba. Ecological information, such as age frequency analysis, relative abundance, diversity and association of species was drawn from 19 mollusc species. These data indicate that the Red and Assiniboine rivers cut the valleys they occupy today within a thousand years of the regression of Lake Agassiz. In the south, up to 14 m of alluvium has accumulated during the last 7000 years. A decrease in the sedimentation rate at 1400 BP is coincident with the shift in the position of the Assiniboine from the valley of the La Salle River to its present position. Overbank sedimentation did not start in the northern part of the area until ca. 5200 BP. Initial rapid sedimentation rates in this area are attributed to increased precipitation and a brief eastward excursion of the Assiniboine River into the Red. In spite of increased precipitation, flood frequencies remained low in the north until 1400 BP. Increased overbank sedimentation after 1400 BP is attributed to the northward shift in the position ot the Assiniboine.

Late-devensian and flandrian vegetational history of Bodmin Moor, Cornwall

1977 ◽  
Vol 276 (946) ◽  
pp. 251-320 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Cold Climate ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
The North ◽  
Pollen Content ◽  
History Of ◽  
Pollen Taxon ◽  
Palynological Study ◽  
First Time ◽  
Palynological Records

A largely palynological study of new exposures of lake and mire sediments from Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, together with radiocarbon dating of the polliniferous deposits has allowed, for the first time in southwest England, description of dated local and regional pollen assemblage zones which can be correlated with the pollen zones of Godwin and the chronozones of West. Reconstruction of the vegetational history of the Late-Devensian, early and later Flandrian periods is attempted by using, wherever possible, values for the pollen content of sediments to illuminate real pollen taxon percentage fluctuations. Deposition of limnic sediments in the Late-Devensian started shortly before 13000 b.p. when the dominant vegetation, open grass heaths, snow-beds and flushes, reflects the cold climate. Soils at this time were subject to erosion by snow melt-water. Ensuing climatic amelioration permitted invasion by juniper scrub and about 12000 b.p. expansion of tree birches took pace. Climatic recession occurring under strongly oceanic conditions (marked by considerable amorphous solifluction of the upland soils and the development of grass/sedge mires) was initiated about 11000 b.p., but its duration here cannot be accurately estimated. Within this threefold pattern of Late-Devensian deposition 12 distinct pollen assemblages are described from four profiles. Pollen of Artemisia norvegica, Astragalus alpinus and Saxifraga stellaris is confined to the earlier and later colder periods. In the intervening warmer period, but not the colder periods, there is slight pollen and macroscopic fossil evidence of Betula nana. An unexplained unconformity exists at the base of the Flandrian deposits. Early Flandrian vegetation is characterized by the spread of tree birches and Salix in the valleys, with Empetrum and juniper on the hillsides. The two latter genera are replaced before 9000 b.p. by Corylus followed almost immediately by the spread of Quercus. Throughout the Flandrian Quercus , Betula and Corylus , although the dominant woodland genera, probably colonized only the more sheltered sites on the upland. Archaeological and palynological records have been correlated as far as possible, the only substantial pollen record of human activity being that of Plantago , which spread encouraged by Bronze Age pastoralism. There is also pollen evidence of scanty cereal cultivation. Areas on the Atlantic fringes of Europe show a marked similarity in their early Flandrian forest history, particularly with regard to the slight role played by Pirns in relation to Quercus compared with stations further east. This similarity must derive from the proximity of the tempering influences of the North Atlantic Drift.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Amino Acid Composition as a Geochronometer in Buried Soils on Mount Kenya, East Africa

2007 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
William C. Mahaney ◽  
Michael G. Boyer ◽  
Nathaniel W. Rutter
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
East Africa ◽  
Aspartic Acid ◽  
Age Dating ◽  
Buried Soils ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Radiocarbon Age ◽  
Acid Ratio ◽  
History Of ◽  
Quaternary History

ABSTRACT A sequence of surface and buried paleosols from the slopes of Mount Kenya, East Africa, has been identified and dated by radiocarbon and amino acid dating techniques in order to elucidate the Quaternary history of the area. Buried paleosols vary in radiocarbon age from 900 to > 40,000 yrs BP. They have developed in glacial and periglacial deposits of variable texture, consisting of a high percentage of clasts of phonolite, basalt and syenite. All but two paleosols are located in the Afroalpine zone (above 3200 m). D/L ratios of amino acids in Ab horizons were determined in order to establish their reliability for relative age dating. Alanine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, leucine, valine, and phenylalanine were routinely analyzed. Aspartic acid, as in other cases, proved reliable yielding remarkably consistent results, with higher ratios corresponding to increasing age. Other acids analyzed showed distinct trends, although not as convincing as aspartic acid. In most cases, the aspartic acid ratio/ age relationships were supported by radiocarbon dates. D/L ratios of aspartic acid varied from approximately 0.07 for modern samples, to approximately 0.45 in samples > 40,000 years old.

Rapid Climatic Change in Coastal Southern California Inferred from Pollen Analysis of San Joaquin Marsh

1992 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Owen K. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Salt Marsh ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
Orange County ◽  
Freshwater Marsh ◽  
Early History ◽  
Historic Period ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Global Cooling ◽  
History Of

AbstractPollen analysis and five radiocarbon dates of a 687-cm core provide a detailed chronology of environmental change in a marsh at the head of Newport Bay, Orange County, California. Sediment deposition kept pace with sea-level rise during the early history of the marsh. From ca. 7000 to 4500 yr B.P. the site was a freshwater marsh, trees were more abundant than today, and grassland was the regional vegetation. As sea level rose, salt marsh gradually invaded the site. Brief periods of freshwater marsh 3800, 2800, 2300, and after 560 yr B.P. correlate with episodes of global cooling during the Neoglacial. The historic period is marked by the appearance of exotic species (particularly Erodium cf. cicutarium and Eucalyptus) and the spores of fungi (Sporormiella and Thecaphora). Peak influx of pollen, spores, and charcoal probably reflect greater frequency of flooding and erosion ca. 5000 yr B.P. and during the last 1000 yr.

A 14,000-Year Pollen Record from Sithylemenkat Lake, North-Central Alaska

1990 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 400-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia M. Anderson ◽  
Richard E. Reanier ◽  
Linda B. Brubaker
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Sediment Core ◽  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
North Central ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Unusual Combination ◽  
Shrub Tundra ◽  
History Of

AbstractPollen analysis of a 14,000-yr-old sediment core from Sithylemenkat Lake provides the first Holocene vegetational history for the Kanuti Flats of north-central Alaska. Basal samples contain a curious and unusual combination of tundra and boreal taxa. Pollen assemblages dating from 13,500 to 9000 yr B.P. are more typical of southern Brooks Range sites and indicate the presence ofBetulashrub tundra with increasedPopulusca. 10,000 to 9000 yr B.P.Picea glaucaappeared ca. 9000 yr B.P. andAlnusca. 8000 yr B.P.P. glaucapopulations declined between 7800 and 5000 yr B.P. with a subsequent reforestation byP. marianaandP. glauca. This pattern is seen at other sites in northeastern Alaska and suggests that the Holocene history of boreal forest is more complex than thought previously.

Holocene vegetation and climatic change in the Peace River district, Canada

1982 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 555-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
James M. White ◽  
Rolf W. Mathewes
Keyword(s):  
Climatic Change ◽  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Vegetation Change ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Peace River ◽  
Permanent Pond

A sediment core from a pond on the Alberta Plateau in the Peace River district of British Columbia was studied using pollen analysis and radiocarbon dating. Percentage and influx diagrams were produced, and radiocarbon dates were corrected to calendar years to calculate the sedimentation rate. The 231 cm core terminated in clay, and a basal date of 7250 ± 120 years BP was obtained, several thousand years after the recession of Glacial Lake Peace. The formation of the pond is interpreted as resulting from a climatic change, probably a transition from the peak of the Hypsithermal. Zone 1, from 7250 to 5500 years BP, is interpreted as representing a seasonal slough, with upland vegetation percentages consistent with a boreal forest. At about 5500 years BP a permanent pond with surrounding sedge wetlands was formed. Vegetation has been essentially modern during the last 3100 years. Measurements of spruce grains suggest the presence of black and white spruce throughout the pollen record. The formation of permanent ponds and wetlands on the Alberta Plateau at about 5500 years BP is thought to have been the most important vegetation change of the last 7000 years, which may have affected faunal and human populations.

A Prehistoric Ford near Rough Castle, Falkirk

2001 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-103
Author(s):  
JAMIE HAMILTON ◽  
CIARA CLARKE ◽  
ANDREW DUNWELL ◽  
RICHARD TIPPING
Keyword(s):  
Coal Mining ◽  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
Site Formation ◽  
Site Formation Processes ◽  
Formation Processes ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Small Stream ◽  
Mining Project ◽  
First Millennium

This report presents the results of the excavation of a stone ford laid across the base of a small stream valley near Rough Castle, Falkirk. It was discovered during an opencast coal mining project. Radiocarbon dates and pollen analysis of deposits overlying the ford combine to indicate a date for its construction no later than the early first millennium cal BC. Interpreting this evidence was not straightforward and the report raises significant issues about site formation processes and the interpretation of radiocarbon and pollen evidence. The importance of these issues extends beyond the rarely investigated features such as fords and deserve a larger place in the archaeological literature.

Comments on the Geomorphic Contexts of Pre-Clovis Sites

1982 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 267-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vance T. Holliday
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
High Plains ◽  
Alluvial Deposits ◽  
Alluvial Sediments

Drew (1979) has outlined theoretical and geomorphic considerations for locating pre-Clovis sites in the continental United States. Drew considers archaeological sites in loess, cave, and alluvial sediments to be unacceptable for identification of pre-Clovis occupations. Sites in depressions or playas, common to the High Plains, are concluded to be ideally suited for containing and preserving pre-Clovis sites. However, loess, cave, and alluvial deposits possess attributes conducive to site preservation and interpretation whereas the genesis, stratigraphy, and mineralogy of many High Plains playas pose serious problems for geoarchaeological interpretation. Drew's proposal for prospecting for pre-Clovis sites by machine-testing numerous playas is considered to be physically and financially impractical.

scholarly journals Direct dating reveals the early history of opium poppy in western Europe

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurélie Salavert ◽  
Antoine Zazzo ◽  
Lucie Martin ◽  
Ferran Antolín ◽  
Caroline Gauthier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Europe ◽  
Western Alps ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Opium Poppy ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
Macrobotanical Remains ◽  
History Of ◽  
Temperate Europe ◽  
Radiocarbon Chronology ◽  
Botanical Remains

AbstractThis paper aims to define the first chrono-cultural framework on the domestication and early diffusion of the opium poppy using small-sized botanical remains from archaeological sites, opening the way to directly date minute short-lived botanical samples. We produced the initial set of radiocarbon dates directly from the opium poppy remains of eleven Neolithic sites (5900–3500 cal BCE) in the central and western Mediterranean, northwestern temperate Europe, and the western Alps. When possible, we also dated the macrobotanical remains originating from the same sediment sample. In total, 22 samples were taken into account, including 12 dates directly obtained from opium poppy remains. The radiocarbon chronology ranges from 5622 to 4050 cal BCE. The results show that opium poppy is present from at least the middle of the sixth millennium in the Mediterranean, where it possibly grew naturally and was cultivated by pioneer Neolithic communities. Its dispersal outside of its native area was early, being found west of the Rhine in 5300–5200 cal BCE. It was introduced to the western Alps around 5000–4800 cal BCE, becoming widespread from the second half of the fifth millennium. This research evidences different rhythms in the introduction of opium poppy in western Europe.

scholarly journals RADIOCARBON DATES FROM THE MONASTERY ON KOM H IN OLD DONGOLA (SUDAN) AND THE CHRONOLOGY OF MEDIEVAL NUBIAN POTTERY

Radiocarbon ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Dorota Dzierzbicka ◽  
Katarzyna Danys
Keyword(s):  
Historical Research ◽  
Crucial Importance ◽  
Radiocarbon Dates ◽  
14Th Century ◽  
15Th Century ◽  
History Of

ABSTRACT The paper presents and discusses a series of radiocarbon (14C) dates from a medieval Nubian monastery found on Kom H of Old Dongola, the capital of the kingdom of Makuria located in modern-day Sudan. The monastery was founded in the 6th–7th century AD and although it probably ceased to function in the 14th century, the site remained occupied until the beginning of the 15th century. The investigated courtyard of the monastery was in use from the 11th to the 14th century, as indicated by the ceramics and 14C analysis results presented here. The dates under consideration are the first published series of 14C dates from this site, which is of crucial importance for historical research on medieval Nubian Christianity and monasticism. They permit to begin building an absolute chronological framework for research on the archaeological finds from the site and region. A group of finds in particular need of such a framework are ceramics, and the implications of the 14C dates for pottery assemblages found in the dated contexts are discussed. The conclusions summarize the significance of the datings for the history of the site.

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