The geoarchaeological and paleoenvironmental context of Paleoindian sites in western Middle Park,Colorado, USA

Geoarchaeological investigations in western Middle Park provide important information for understanding the soil‐stratigraphic context of Paleoindian components, as well as the latest Quaternary environmental change and landscape evolution in a Southern Rocky Mountain intermontane basin. Paleoindian components are associated with the oldest two of four latest Quaternary stratigraphic units (1–4) recognized in co‐alluvial mantles (combined slopewash and colluvium) in uplands and in alluvial valley fills. Limited data suggest accumulation of unit 1 as early as ∼12,500 ¹⁴C yr B.P. in alluvial valleys and by at least ∼11,000 ¹⁴C yr B.P. in uplands was followed by brief stability and soil formation. A relatively widespread disconformity marks earliest Holocene erosion and substantial removal of latest Pleistocene deposits in upland and alluvial settings followed by unit 2 deposition ∼10,000–9000 ¹⁴C yr B.P., perhaps signaling the abrupt onset of an intensified summer monsoon. In situ Paleoindian components in uplands are found in a moderately developed buried soil (the Kremmling soil) formed in units 1 and 2 in thin (≤1m) hillslope co‐alluvial mantles. The Kremmling soil reflects geomorphic stability in upland and alluvial settings ∼9000–4500 ¹⁴C yr BP, and represents a buried landscape with the potential to contain additional Paleoindian components, although elsewhere in western Middle Park Early Archaic components are documented in morphologically similar soils. Kremmling soil morphology, the relative abundance of charcoal in unit 2 relative to younger units, and charcoal morphology indicate the expansion of forest cover, including Pinus, and grass cover during the early and middle Holocene, suggesting conditions moister than present. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The evolution of Paleoindian geochronology and typology on the Great Plains

The Great Plains contain many of the best‐known Paleoindian sites in North America, and a number of these localities were key to determining the chronology of Paleoindian occupations in the years before, during, and since the development of radiocarbon and other chronometric dating methods. Initial attempts at dating were based on correlation with extinct fauna, the “geologic‐climatic” dating method, and stratigraphic relationships of artifacts within sites. By the time radiocarbon dating was developed (1950), the basic Paleoindian sequence (oldest to youngest) was: Clovis‐Folsom‐unfluted lanceolates (such as Plainview, Eden, and Scottsbluff). Initial applications of radiocarbon dating in the 1950s did little to further resolve age relationships. In the 1960s, however, largely through the efforts of C. V. Haynes, a numerical geochronology of Paleoindian occupations on the Great Plains began to emerge On the Southern Great Plains the radiocarbon‐dated artifact chronology is: Clovis (11,600–11,000 yr B.P.); Folsom and Midland (10,900–10,100 yr B.P.); Plainview, Milnesand, and Lubbock (10,200–9800 yr B.P.); Firstview (9400–8200 yr B.P.); St. Mary's Hall, Golondrina, and Texas Angostura (9200–8000 yr B.P.). The chronology for the Northern Great Plains is: Clovis (11,200–10,900 yr B.P.); Goshen (ca. 11,000 yr B.P.); Folsom (10,900–10,200 yr B.P.); Agate Basin (10,500–10,000 yr B.P.); Hell Gap (10,500–9500 yr B.P.); Alberta, Alberta‐Cody (10,200–9400 yr B.P.); Cody (Eden‐Scottsbluff) (9400–8800 yr B.P.); Angostura, Jimmy Allen, Frederick, and other parallel‐oblique types (9400–7800 yr B.P.). Fifty years after the development of radiocarbon dating, the basic typological sequence has not changed significantly except for the realization that there probably was significant temporal overlap of some point types, and that the old unilinear sequence does not account for all the known typological variation. The chronology has been continually refined with the determination of hundreds of radiocarbon ages in recent decades. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Paleoindian environmental change and landscape response in Barger Gulch,Middle Park,Colorado

Middle Park, a high‐altitude basin in the Southern Rocky Mountains of north‐central Colorado, contains at least 59 known Paleoindian localities. At Barger Gulch Locality B, an extensive Folsom assemblage (˜10,500 ¹⁴C yr B.P.) occurs within a buried soil. Radiocarbon ages of charcoal and soil organic matter, as well as stratigraphic positions of artifacts, indicate the soil is a composite of a truncated, latest‐Pleistocene soil and a younger mollic epipedon formed between ˜6000 and 5200 ¹⁴C yr B.P. and partially welded onto the older soil following erosion and truncation. Radiocarbon ages from an alluvial terrace adjacent to the excavation area indicate that erosion followed by aggradation occurred between ˜10,200 and 9700 ¹⁴C yr B.P., and that the erosion is likely related to truncation of the latest‐Pleistocene soil. Erosion along the main axis of Barger Gulch occurring between ˜10,000 and 9700 ¹⁴C yr B.P. was followed by rapid aggradation between ˜9700 and 9550 ¹⁴C yr B.P., which, along with the erosion at Locality B, coincides with the abrupt onset of monsoonal precipitation following cooling in the region ˜11,000–10,000 ¹⁴C yr B.P. during the Younger Dryas oscillation. Buried soils dated between ˜9500 and 8000 ¹⁴C yr B.P. indicate relative landscape stability and soil formation throughout Middle Park. Morphological characteristics displayed by early Holocene soils suggest pedogenesis under parkland vegetation in areas currently characterized by sagebrush steppe. The expansion of forest cover into lower elevations during the early Holocene may have resulted in lower productivity in regards to mammalian fauna, and may partly explain the abundance of early Paleoindian sites (˜11,000–10,000 ¹⁴C yr B.P., 76%) relative to late Paleoindian sites (˜10,000–8000 ¹⁴C yr B.P., 24%) documented in Middle Park. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Reconstructing landscape and vegetation through multiple proxy indicators: A geoarchaeological examination of the St. Louis site,Saskatchewan, Canada

The St. Louis site, located in the Plains–Parkland transition zone along the South Saskatchewan River, in Saskatchewan, Canada, is a multiple‐component site consisting of stratified floodplain alluvium with multiple, weakly developed soils. Human occupation at the site spans the Late Paleoindian to Middle Precontact periods (10,000–5,000 ¹⁴C yr B.P.), a time poorly represented archaeologically on the Northern Plains. The dearth of early–middle Holocene‐age archaeological sites is often attributed to reduced inhabitability of the Northern Plains during the Hypsithermal, a period of maximum aridity and limited water availability. Stable isotope and phytolith data from the site indicate increased temperatures during the Hypsithermal and an expansion of Northern Plains grasslands into north‐central Saskatchewan. Although characterized by increased xeric conditions, human occupation at the St. Louis site, as well as the predominance of C₃ grasses, attests to the habitability of Northern Plains river systems during this time period. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Freshwater availability as the constraining factor in the Middle Paleoindian occupation of North‐Central Florida

The locations of reliable surface water exposures during the Middle Paleoindian period (10,800–10,200 ¹⁴C yr B.P.) in north‐central Florida are reconstructed and compared to the concentrations of Middle Paleoindian projectile points. Estimates of water table levels and surface water flow in Florida's karst geology confirm prior climate reconstructions for that time indicating the area was arid and supported a xeric ecology in most upland locales. Surface water flow data from recent extreme droughts and water table estimations are used to identify the areas of highest probability for surface water availability. The distribution of the highest concentrations of Middle Paleoindian points correlates with the areas of highest probability, indicating that scarce surface water sources were the strongest constraint on occupation location during that time. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Middle Holocene Bison diet and mobility in the eastern Great Plains (USA) based on δC, δO, and Sr/Sr analyses of tooth enamel carbonate

During the Holocene, bison (Bison bison) were key components of the Great Plains landscape. This study utilizes serial stable isotope analyses (tooth enamel carbonate) of 29 individuals from five middle Holocene (∼ 7–8.5 ka) archaeological sites to address seasonal variability in movement patterns and grazing behavior of bison populations in the eastern Great Plains. Stable carbon isotopes (δ¹³C) indicate a bison diet that is similar to the C3/C4 composition of modern tallgrass prairies, while ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values generally indicate very little seasonal movement (< 50 km) and relatively limited inter-annual movement (< 500 km) over the course of 4–5 yr. Analyses of variability in serial stable oxygen isotope samples (δ¹⁸O) further substantiate a model of localized bison herds that adhered to upland areas of the eastern Plains and prairie–forest border.     

Zircon and whole-rock Nd-Pb isotopic provenance of Middle and Upper Ordovician siliciclastic rocks, Argentine Precordillera

Graptolite‐bearing Middle and Upper Ordovician siliciclastic facies of the Argentine Precordillera fold‐thrust belt record the disintegration of a long‐lived Cambro‐Mid Ordovician carbonate platform into a series of tectonically partitioned basins. A combination of stratigraphic, petrographic, U‐Pb detrital zircon, and Nd‐Pb whole‐rock isotopic data provide evidence for a variety of clastic sediment sources. Four Upper Ordovician quartzo‐lithic sandstones collected in the eastern and central Precordillera yield complex U‐Pb zircon age spectra dominated by 1·05–1·10 Ga zircons, secondary populations of 1·22, 1·30, and 1·46 Ga, rare 2·2 and 1·8 Ga zircons, and a minor population (<2%) of concordant zircons in the 600–700 Ma range. Archaean‐age grains comprise <1% of all zircons analysed from these rocks. In contrast, a feldspathic arenite from the Middle Ordovician Estancia San Isidro Formation of the central Precordillera has two well‐defined peaks at 1·41 and 1·43 Ga, with no grains in the 600–1200 Ma range and none older than 1·70 Ga. The zircon age spectrum in this unit is similar to that of a Middle Cambrian quartz arenite from the La Laja Formation, suggesting that local basement rocks were a regional source of ca 1·4 Ga detrital zircons in the Precordillera Terrane from the Cambrian onwards. The lack of grains younger than 600 Ma in Upper Ordovician units reinforces petrographic data indicating that Ordovician volcanic arc sources did not supply significant material directly to these sedimentary basins. Nd isotopic data (n = 32) for Middle and Upper Ordovician graptolitic shales from six localities define a poorly mixed signal [ɛ_Nd(450 Ma) = −9·6 to −4·5] that becomes more regionally homogenized in Upper Ordovician rocks (−6·2 ± 1·0; T_DM = 1·51 ± 0·15 Ga; n = 17), a trend reinforced by the U‐Pb detrital zircon data. It is concluded that proximal, recycled orogenic sources dominated the siliciclastic sediment supply for these basins, consistent with rapid unroofing of the Precordillera Terrane platform succession and basement starting in Mid Ordovician time. Common Pb data for Middle and Upper Ordovician shales from the western and eastern Precordillera (n = 15) provide evidence for a minor (<30%) component that was likely derived from a high‐μ (U/Pb) terrane.     

Evolution of landscapes on the double mountain fork of the brazos river,West Texas: Implications for preservation and visibility of the archaeological record

The Double Mountain Fork of the Brazos River is an ephemeral stream that flows across the western Rolling Plains of West Texas. Intensive pedestrian archaeological survey, covering some 8700 acres of the drainage, produced a site inventory with a general paucity of identifiable Paleoindian and Early to Middle Archaic components, whereas Late Archaic and Late Prehistoric sites were widespread and found in a diversity of landscape positions. Geoarchaeological investigations were conducted in conjunction with this survey and later testing activities, and suggested that much of this temporally and spatially skewed archaeological record may be attributable to the evolution of landscapes during the late Pleistocene and Holocene time period, rather than original occupation intensities. Most of the landscape in the study area has been subject to erosional stripping, but in selected localities late Pleistocene and Holocene depositional landform-sediment assemblages of fluvial, alluvial/colluvial fan, and eolian origin are preserved. With few exceptions, however, depositional contexts or stable geomorphic surfaces more than 3000 years old are erosionally truncated, completely absent, or deeply buried. As a result, a bias is imposed that renders older cultural records either poorly preserved or deeply buried and of low visibility to traditional survey techniques. Similar natural formation processes are likely at other locations on the western Rolling Plains, and should be considered during interpretation of prehistoric population dynamics in the area. The biases imposed by such natural formation processes on the western Rolling Plains are slightly different from other areas in the Southern Great Plains of the United States, but in most cases the known archaeological record corresponds with opportunities for preservation and visibility provided by geologic trajectories, and may reflect little on spatial and temporal discontinuities in prehistoric cultural activity.     

Lubbock Lake: Late Quaternary cultural and environmental change on the Southern High Plains,USA

Lubbock Lake (Southern High Plains of Texas) contains a cultural, faunal, and floral record within a virtually complete geological record spanning the past 11 100+ years. More than 88 archaeological occurrences have been excavated from five major stratigraphic units. The Paleoindian record (11 500–6500yr BP) begins with Clovis-age occupation (ca. 11 100yr BP) found within fluvial deposits (stratum 1). Subsequent Paleoindian occupations are found in lake and marsh sediments (stratum 2). Archaic occupations (8500-2000yr BP) are contained within aeolian and marsh deposits (strata 3 and 4). Ceramic occupations (2000-500yr BP) are found on a soil developed in stratum 4, in marsh sediments (strata 4 and 5), and in slopewash and aeolian sediments (stratum 5). The Protohistoric (500-300yr BP) and Historic (300-100yr BP) remains are in slopewash, aeolian, and marsh sediments (stratum 5) and associated soils. The Southern High Plains remained a grasslands throughout the last 11 500 years and neither man nor bison abandoned the region. The successive local faunas reflect changing ecosystems under pluvial to arid to more mesic to semiarid conditions. The occupation of Lubbock Lake through time appears to have been by small groups of people for both economic and short-term residential uses. These hunter-gatherer peoples underwent adaptive change brought about by climatic stress and alterations to food resources.     

Tasmanian Cambrian biostratigraphy—a preliminary report

In Tasmania shelly fossils are known from Middle and Upper Cambrian sediments of the Dundas Trough, Fossey Mountain Trough, Dial Range Trough, Beaconsfield Trough, Smithton Basin, Adamsfield Trough and from within sediments associated with the Mount Read Volcanics of Western Tasmania. In the Dundas Trough fossils range in age from early Middle Cambrian (Ptychagnostus gibbus Zone) to the middle Late Cambrian (pre‐Payntonian A or B). Late Middle Cambrian fossils occur in sediments associated with the Mount Read Volcanics in two places in Western Tasmania. Late Middle Cambrian fossils only are known from the Smithton Basin and the Beaconsfield Trough. Late Middle to early Late Cambrian faunas are known from the Dial Range Trough; the Adamsfield Trough contains middle Middle to middle Late Cambrian fossils. Tasmanian Cambrian faunas show affinities with those of Queensland, China, the northwest Siberian Platform and northern Victoria Land, Antarctica.     

Adaminaby Group west of Batemans Bay: Deformation and metamorphism of the Narooma accretionary complex,NSW

This study provides new structural data that show that the Adaminaby Group is part of the Narooma accretionary complex and has been overprinted by HT/LP metamorphism associated with Middle Devonian Moruya Suite intrusions. The grade of metamorphism based on Kübler Indices is the same in the Wagonga and Adaminaby Groups at Batemans Bay inferring that these rocks were involved in the same accretionary event. White micas in slates of the Adaminaby Group record apparent K–Ar ages of 384.6 ± 7.9 Ma and 395.8 ± 8.1 Ma. These ages are believed to represent the age of Middle to Upper Devonian Buckenbowra Granodiorite. Kübler Index values indicate lower epizonal (greenschist facies) metamorphic conditions and are not influenced by heating in metamorphic aureoles of the plutons. All b cell lattice parameter values are characteristic of intermediate pressure facies conditions although they are lower in the metamorphic aureole of the Buckenbowra Granodiorite than in the country rock, defining two areas with dissimilar baric conditions. East of the Buckenbowra Granodiorite, b cell lattice parameter values outside the contact aureole (x = 9.033 Å; n = 8) indicate P = 4 kb, and assuming a temperature of 300°C, infer a depth of burial of approximately 15 km for these rocks with a geothermal gradient of 20°C/km. In the metamorphic aureole of the Buckenbowra Granodiorite, b cell lattice parameter values (x = 9.021 Å; n = 41) indicate P = 3.1 kb inferring exhumation of the Adaminaby Group rocks to a depth of approximately 11 km prior to intrusion. A geothermal gradient of 36°C/km operated in the aureole during intrusion. An extensional back-arc environment prevailed in the Adaminaby Group during the Middle to Upper Devonian.     

First results of U/Pb dating of detrital zircons from Early Paleozoic and Devonian sandstones of the Baltic-Ladoga region (south Ladoga Area)

The first results of U/Pb isotopic dating (LA ICP MS) of detrital zircons from sands from the Middle Cambrian Sablinka Formation, Upper Cambrian Ladoga Formation, Low Ordovician Tosna Formation, and calcareous sands from Syas’ Formation (Sargaevskii horizon of the Upper Frasnian) from Baltica-Ladoga Glint (BLG) of the Southern Ladoga area are presented. The obtained ages of detrital zircons span the intervals 492.7 ± 5.1-3196.4 ± 5.1 Ma (Sablino Formation); 577.9 ± 7–2972.6 ± 13.4 Ma (Ladoga Formation); 509.4 ± 8.5–3247.6 ± 10.1 Ma (Tosna Formation); 451.1 ± 14.7–2442.2 ± 6.9 Ma (Syas’ Formation). A comparison of the obtained isotopic ages of detrital zircons to ages of crystalline complexes composing the Kola-Karelian, Svecofennian, and Sveconorwegian domains of Baltic Shield and Pre-Uralian-Timanian structures of Subpolar and Polar Urals and basement of Pechora Basin was carried out. It is proposed that the Middle Paleozoic sedimentary basin accumulated Upper Frasnian rocks of Syas’ Formation. The basin ranged northward from the present-day BLG and occupied the eastern part of the Baltic Shield.     

U–Pb age and origin of gem zircon from the New England sapphire fields,New South Wales,Australia

Chemical compositions and geochronological data utilising the laser ablation ICP-MS technique are presented for zircon megacrysts found in alluvial gem corundum deposits associated with Upper Cretaceous–Cenozoic alkali basalts in the Inverell district-New England field, New South Wales, eastern Australia. Three localities, Kings Plains, Swan Brook and Mary Anne Gully, produce gem-quality transparent dark brown and yellow zircon megacrysts, mostly under 10 mm in size. Although brown zircon shows relative enrichment in Hf and REE, there are no differences in relative transition metal concentrations between the colours. Chemical homogeneity within a single crystal indicates stable crystallisation conditions. The ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age of zircon megacrysts from these three localities define older and younger groups of 216–174 Ma and 45–37.7 Ma, respectively. The ?_Hf values of zircon megacrysts from Kings Plains show +7.51±0.34 in the older group and +10.72±0.31 in the younger group. Swan Brook zircons give +11.54±0.47 and +8.32±0.58, and Mary Anne Gully zircons are +13.67±0.63 and +8.50±0.48, respectively. These zircons from New England alluvial gem deposits have two main formational events around Upper Triassic–Lower Jurassic and Eocene episodes. Most originated from lithospheric mantle and all were brought-up by later host basaltic magmas.     

Pleistocene forest on Tenerife's southern coast: a case study of Montaña Negra

Montaña Negra is a 121 m cinder cone in the Bandas del Sur region of southern Tenerife. Formed in the Middle Pleistocene, it comprises alternating phonolitic pumice deposits and scoria layers; the latter are extremely fossiliferous with good taphonomical fidelity. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age determination provides new dates of 302 ± 7.6 ka and 299.9 ± 11.4 ka for the Lower and Upper Aldea Blanca pumice fall deposits, respectively. This chronological constraint allows comparison of the palaeo‐habitat with the global climate at the time of pyroclastic activity. Abundant terrestrial gastropod species and rare disarticulated Coleoptera fragments are to be found. The occurrence of the endemic semi‐slug genus Plutonia (Family Vitrinidae) is significant in indicating a woodland habitat in the region during the Middle Pleistocene. We suggest that this may have been forest, possibly dominated by laurel, which is in stark contrast to the present‐day semi‐desert. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geoarchaeology of stratified paleoindian deposits at the Big Eddy site,Southwest Missouri,U.S.A.

The Big Eddy site (23CE426) in the Sac River valley of southwest Missouri is a rare recorded example of distinctly stratified Early through Late Paleoindian cultural deposits. Early point types recovered from the site include Gainey, Sedgwick, Dalton (fluted and unfluted), San Patrice, Wilson, and Packard. The Paleoindian record at Big Eddy represents only a fraction of the site's prehistoric cultural record; stratified cultural deposits in alluvium above the Paleoindian components span the entire known prehistoric sequence, and terminal Pleistocene alluvium may contain pre‐Early Paleoindian cultural deposits. This study focused on the paleogeomorphic setting, stratigraphy, depositional environments, pedology, geochronology, and history of landscape evolution of the late Pleistocene and early Holocene alluvium at the site. The Paleoindian sequence is associated with a complex buried soil 2.85 m below the modern surface (T1a) of the first terrace of the Sac River valley in the site vicinity. This soil formed at the top of the early submember of the Rodgers Shelter Member (underlying the T1c paleogeomorphic surface) and contains at least 70 cm of stratified Paleoindian cultural deposits, all in floodplain and upper point‐bar facies. A suite of 36 radiocarbon ages indicates that the alluvium hosting the Paleoindian sequence aggraded between ca. 13,250 and 11,870 cal yr B.P. (11,380 and 10,180 14C yr B.P.). Underlying deposits accumulated between ca. 15,300 and 13,250 cal yr B.P. (12,950 and 11,380 14C yr B.P.). By ca. 11,250 cal yr B.P. (9,840 14C yr B.P.) the T1c paleogeomorphic surface was buried by the earliest increment of a thick sequence of overbank sheetflood facies, ultimately resulting in deep burial and preservation of the Paleoindian record. The landform‐sediment assemblage that hosts the Paleoindian and possibly earlier cultural deposits at Big Eddy is both widespread and well preserved in the lower Sac River valley. Moreover, the terminal Pleistocene and early Holocene depositional environments were favorable for the preservation of the archaeological record. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

New record of Bathonian–Callovian calcareous nannofossils in the eastern Karakoram block: a possible clue to understanding the dextral offset along the Karakoram Fault

We report the first record of Bathonian–Callovian calcareous nannofossils from a marine sedimentary sequence of the eastern Karakoram block, in northern India. The calcareous mudstones and packstones, occasionally bearing red chert nodules, yielded calcareous nanofossils and Middle Jurassic Choffatia furcula ammonoids. Middle to Upper Jurassic nannofossil assemblage is dominated by representatives of the genus Watznaueria. The occurrence of Ansulasphaera helvetica whose range is Upper Bathonian–Upper Callovian, indicates a correlation with nannofossil zones NJ12–13. The occurrence of Cyclagelosphaera wiedmannii further infer an Upper Bathonian–Callovian age. These specimens show affinities with those found in a similar sedimentary formation exposed in north Karakoram. This suggests the existence of a narrow and elongated sedimentary basin, oriented in a NW–SE direction, at a latitude of c. 25°–30°N. At that time, the Karakoram block was situated near the already welded Qiangtang block of Asia. The northern and eastern Karakoram blocks were connected during Middle Jurassic. The activity and dextral offset of the Karakoram fault separated the Jurassic sedimentary formations of the northern and eastern Karakoram blocks by c. 150 km.     

Chronostratigraphy of upper James river floodplain sediments: Implications for southeastern North Dakota archaeology

Test excavations have been conducted at several dozen prehistoric archaeological sites on the James River floodplain in southeastern North Dakota. Radiocarbon dates and other evidence from these tested artifact deposits indicate that floodplain sedimentary contexts above today's river level are entirely Late Holocene in age. Middle and Early Holocene sediments are more deeply buried. Cultural strata from Late Plains Archaic, Early Plains Woodland, Middle Plains Woodland, and Plains Village settlements are characteristically contained within paleosols in the Late Holocene floodplain sediments. There is a positive correlation between periods of floodplain soil development and mesic climatic episodes identified in current paleoclimatic models for the Plains. There is also evidence for climatic variability within episodes. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A geoarchaeological approach to using surface sites for paleoenvironmental reconstructions

Archaeological sites that have only surface scatters are usually considered to be of little or no use in reconstructing paleoenvironmental conditions during episodes of human occupation. However, geoarchaeological research at the Skare site in south-central Wisconsin reveals that these sites can be used to provide information about the timing of paleoenvironmental changes and their affect on the location of human occupations. Geomorphic investigations revealed the presence of Alfisols formed in late Wisconsin loess on upland and low bench positions; morphologically younger Mollisols formed in alluvial and colluvial sediments on low alluvial plain positions; and beach sediments that represent the low-water stand of Glacial Lake Yahara. Semiquantitative age control for timing the formation of these soils and the lake level(s) of Glacial Lake Yahara is based on the location of diagnostic artifacts (Early Paleoindian to Late Woodland) recovered during ten separate surface collections. Early and Late Paleoindian artifacts all occur on Alfisols and are only found above the low-water stand of Glacial Lake Yahara, indicating that loess deposition and subsequent soil formation happened sometime between 12,000 and 11,000 yr B.P., and that Glacial Lake Yahara remained near the low-water stand at least until ∼9500 yr B.P. Early Archaic artifacts are present below the low-water stand and provide ages for lowering of the lake to be between 8000 and 9500 yr B.P. Middle Archaic artifacts are present on Mollisols and provide an age of soil formation to be between 5000 and 3000 yr B.P. A majority of Woodland artifacts occur on these Mollisols and are present along the floodplain of the Yahara River, possibly representing a change in subsistence strategy and settlement patterns relative to Paleoindian and Archaic occupations. The agreement of soil morphological and sedimentological data with semiquantitative age data of diagnostic artifacts provides evidence that archaeological surface scatters can be useful tools in dating soils and landforms associated with these sites. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Geomorphic and pedogenic evidence for bioturbation of artifacts at a multicomponent site in Licking County,Ohio, U.S.A.

The distribution of artifacts at the multi-component (Paleoindian through Middle Woodland) Munson Springs site (33Li251) is best explained by downward migration of objects through bioturbation processes rather than by a vertical sequence of occupation surfaces through a period of sediment accretion. At the noncultivated, 1800 m², footslope site, the distribution of glacial diamict, loess, and drift- and bedrock-derived colluvium indicate widespread slope erosion during the late-glacial period with general backslope and footslope stability during the Holocene. Diagnostic Paleoindian artifacts were recovered from a BE soil horizon lying directly below fill material of a small (8 × 10 m) Early Woodland mound. Based on soil fine clay distribution, these artifacts lay about 30 cm below the premound land surface. Woodland artifacts are concentrated at depths of 10–20 cm immediately down slope from the mound. Soil horizonation and total and fine clay distributions within footslope profiles indicate no significant sediment accretion through the period of soil genesis and prehistoric site occupation. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Timing of high-pressure metamorphic events in the Bulgarian Rhodopes from Lu–Hf garnet geochronology

Within the Mediterranean realm, the Rhodopes represent a nappe stack of oceanic and continental fragments assembled along the Eurasian continental margin during the Alpine orogeny. The timing of the high-pressure (HP) metamorphism has long been ambiguous, lacking detailed geochronological and geochemical control on subduction-exhumation and nappe stacking processes. Here we apply the Lu–Hf and Sm–Nd chronometers to a suite of representative eclogite samples covering two different key units of the Rhodopean nappe stack: (1) the Kimi Complex (Upper Allochthon) and (2) the Middle Allochthon. In addition to geochronology, we also determined whole rock Hf and Nd isotope compositions as well as major and trace element concentrations in order to constrain the nature of the eclogite protoliths. Two HP metamorphic events were revealed by Lu–Hf geochronology: (1) a Lower Cretaceous event in the Upper Allochthon (126.0 ± 1.7 Ma) and (2) an Eocene event in the Middle Allochthon (44.6 ± 0.7 Ma; 43.5 ± 0.4 Ma; 42.8 ± 0.5 Ma), at conditions of ca. 700°C/20–25 kbar. Our new data provide direct evidence for multiple subduction events in the Rhodopes. Exhumation and subsequent thrusting of the Middle Allochthon on the Lower Allochthon can be narrowed down to the time span between 42 and 34 Ma. In a broader tectonic context, the Eocene ages for the HP metamorphism support the view that the Rhodopes represent a large-scale tectonic window, exposing the deepest nappe units of the Hellenides.