| Abstract: | 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. |
