Re: Environmental Change; sediments from Marmes Rockshelter, Washington


"Eric Stevens" wrote...
On Tue, 28 Aug 2007 22:33:19 -0600, "Tedd Jacobs"
<tjacobs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Environmental change recorded in sediments from the Marmes rockshelter
archaeological site, southeastern Washington state, USA
Gary Huckleberry and Cynthia Fadem,
Department of Anthropology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
99164-4910, USA
Received 28 January 2006. Available online 22 November 2006.

http://tinyurl.com/34uk5g


Abstract
The Marmes Rockshelter archaeological site in southeastern Washington
state
contains a > 11 kyr stratigraphic record that was excavated in the 1960s
but
only recently analyzed in detail. We present the results of physical,
chemical, and isotopic analyses of archived Marmes sediments from
rockshelter, hillslope, and floodplain locations. Multiple lines of
evidence
including éboulis production, soil chemistry, and ?13C and ?18O signatures
in soil organic matter and calcium carbonate suggest that relatively cool,
moist conditions 10,600 to 9700 14C yr BP were followed by relatively warm
and dry conditions as early as 9000 14C yr BP. Warm and dry conditions
extended to the late Holocene, followed by a return to cooler and moister
climate. The limited range of ?13C and ?18O values in Marmes paleosols
suggests that the magnitude of moisture and temperature shifts was locally
buffered in the lower Snake River Canyon but adequate to generate
significant changes in sedimentation and soil formation, possibly due to
nonlinear geological and pedological processes. These buffered canyon
environments were well suited for establishing residential bases
associated
with foraging and logistical collecting strategies and may have minimized
the influence of climate changes in food resource abundance.

Tedd,

Thank you for that. I'm more interested in the paper from a
climatological point of view but I guess that determining its effect
on the anthropology is my ultimate aim.

not sure what you are saying here... 'climatological effect on the
anthropology' or 'paper's effect on the anthropology [of the area]'? if the
latter it fits quite well.


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