Geological Society of America

42 In Cahoots: Interdisciplinary Studies of Climate Change Impacts to Archaeological Resources

Tuesday, 22 March 2022
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Commonwealth Salon 4

CULTURAL RESOURCES ON A PLEISTOCENE DUNE IN EAST POINT PENINSULA, NEW JERSEY

Paper number: 42-8
Program: Theme Sessions
Time: 10:05 AM – 10:25 AM

Authors

Katherine Dowling Presenting Author
West Chester University of Pennsylvania, West Chester, PA
Daria Nikitina
West Chester University of Pennsylvania, West Chester, PA
Heather Wholey
West Chester University of Pennsylvania, West Chester, PA
Jacob Sullivan
Dutton and Associates, Midlothian, VA

Abstract

East Point, located along the Northeast coast of the Delaware Bay encompasses archaeological resources spanning the late Paleoindian period through 19^th century, and the second oldest lighthouse in New Jersey. These cultural resources are located along a rapidly eroding shoreline and are threatened by sea level rise, coastal erosion and flooding due to storm surge. LiDAR analysis reveals that the pre-colonial occupations are located on a dune system that formed during late Pleistocene/early Holocene, and that much of this ancient landscape has already been buried under salt marsh sediments. GPR profiles revealed several buried shell middens located on the dune that was still occupied up to AD 1716 based on AMS date from oyster shell. We collected sediment cores from transects across the salt marsh and dune system for paleo-landscape reconstruction and have created a 3D model to visualize landscape changes over the last 1,000 years in 100-year increments.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 54, No. 3

doi: 10.1130/abs/2022NE-375056

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