Geological Society of America

275 D42. Advances in Geoarchaeology

Wednesday, 7 November 2018
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Room 135

SITE FORMATION PROCESSES AT THE CONNLEY CAVES: A RECORD OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL CHANGE DURING THE LATE PLEISTOCENE AND EARLY HOLOCENE IN THE FORT ROCK BASIN, OREGON, USA

Paper number: 275-5
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 2:30 PM – 2:45 PM

Authors

Justin A. Holcomb Presenting Author
Boston University, Boston, MA
Justin A. Holcomb Presenting Author
American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Athens
Karl Wegmann
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Panagiotis Karkanas
American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Athens
Beatrice Fletcher
McMaster University, Hamilton, ON
Dennis Jenkins
University of Oregon, Eugene, OR

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of ongoing geoarchaeological research at the Connley Caves, a series of late Pleistocene/early Holocene Western Stemmed Tradition occupations located within the Fort Rock basin of Oregon. This research seeks to integrate geomorphological, pedological, mineralogical, and geochemical data to 1) critically evaluate the stratigraphic integrity of the site’s deposits, 2) reconstruct the site's natural and cultural site formation processes, and 3) shed light on human-environment dynamics associated with the local pluvial lake system. Pluvial lakes in the Northern Great Basin represent key geomorphic filters for understanding late Pleistocene prehistory in the area. The results of this multi- and inter-disciplinary research will provide key data for constraining diachronic human occupation at the Connley Caves, shed light on late-Pleistocene and early-Holocene paleoenvironments within the Northern Great Basin, and will represent a model for future geoarchaeological research seeking to understand similar contexts in the Far West.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 50, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2018AM-323064

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