Paleogeographic reconstruction of shoreline archaeological sites around Thunder Bay,Ontario

Paleoindian peoples migrated into the cul-de-sac between Lake Agassiz, the Superior basin, and the receding ice margin about 9500 years ago. Around Thunder Bay there is a close but not exclusive association of habitation sites with Lake Minong and its subsequent declining stages. Reconstruction of shorelines by detailed morphological mapping provides explanation of known sites, reasonable longshore correlation, and a predictive tool for focusing new investigations. Sites near taconite sources, in sheltered embayments, at river mouths, and near lookout points are preferred, but some occupance continued after water level decline. the full sequence of Paleoindian to Shield Archaic periods is uniquely destroyed by the Nipissing transgression (8000-5500 years BP), which buried and truncated earlier shorelines. This sequence is potentially preserved on the north shore of Superior, but limited archaeological resources exist in the region, despite healthy, interdisciplinary cooperation.