Assessing geomorphic change along the Trinity River downstream from Lewiston Dam, California, 1980-2011

Ceramics are one of the key diagnostic artifacts that define the Late Prehistoric culture of the peoples that lived along the East Fork of the Trinity and its tributaries. We are completing a 42 year re evaluation of the Late Prehistoric period of the area and have st udied nearly 32,000 artifacts, of which over 10,200 are ceramic sherds. From this study, 20 distinct ceramic types have been recognized. Plain ware, both shell tempered and sandy paste/grog tempered, are the predominant ceramic types present, comprising ov er 90 percent of the total ceramic assemblage. While there is little direct evidence for indigenous manufacture, the abundance of these types suggests they were produced locally. Lesser quantities of decorated ware of distinct Caddo ceramic types from the Red River and East Texas suggest they are likely the product of exchange. There is also a small amount of Puebloan material indicative of a longer distance exchange.

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Environmental and Cultural Resources within the Trinity River Basin

10.21236/ada096191 ◽

1971 ◽

Author(s):

James V. Sciscenti ◽

John E. Ubelaker ◽

William F. Mahler ◽

Robert D. Hyatt

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

Cultural Resources ◽

Trinity River ◽

The Trinity

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A Comparison of Mercury Contamination in Mussel and Ammocoete Filter Feeders

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management ◽

10.3996/112009-jfwm-019 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 142-145 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Jamie B. Bettaso ◽

Damon H. Goodman

Keyword(s):

Methyl Mercury ◽

Total Mercury ◽

Mercury Contamination ◽

Teleost Fishes ◽

Trinity River ◽

Longitudinal Gradients ◽

History Of ◽

Filter Feeders ◽

The Trinity ◽

Mercury Mining

Abstract The Trinity River, California, has an extensive history of gold and mercury mining, and recent studies demonstrated uptake of legacy mercury contamination by teleost fishes. We investigated mercury concentrations of larval lampreys (ammocoetes; Entosphenus spp.) and western pearlshell mussels (Margaritifera falcata) in the Trinity River to determine whether these two long-lived and sedentary filter feeders show site-specific differences in uptake of this contaminant. We analyzed ammocoetes from four sites in the Trinity River and one reference site in the Mad River for total mercury and mussels from three of the Trinity River sites for total and methyl mercury. We identified longitudinal gradients in ammocoete total mercury levels and methyl mercury in mussels. We found a 70% increase in total mercury in ammocoetes between two of the sample sites, suggesting a potential point source of contamination. Ammocoetes contained levels of mercury 12 to 25 times those of mussels from the same site. Our data indicate that ammocoetes may be a preferred organism to sample for mercury contamination and ecological effects compared with mussels in the Trinity River.

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