T124 Coastal and Island Geoarchaeology

Monday, 16 October 2023
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
330

DEVELOPMENT OF LAKES ON BEACH RIDGE COMPLEXES IN NW ALASKA DURING THE LATE HOLOCENE: PALEOENVIRONMENTAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF AN OVERLOOKED SYSTEM

Paper number: T124-3
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 1:55 PM – 2:10 PM

Authors

Abstract

Mid-to-late Holocene storm histories, sea level trends, and shore-zone geomorphic processes are recorded in beach ridge complexes and coastal plains globally. Gravel- and sand-dominated coastal systems in Northwest Alaska (NWAK) provide valuable archives of these processes, and of human adaptations to these environments. Inter-ridge lakes have developed on all NWAK beach ridge complexes during the late Holocene, and have expanded to cross-cut many ridges and ridge sets in response to wind and wave climate, shoreline sediment availability, and permafrost thaw-depth. This paper reviews the distribution of beach ridge lake systems in NWAK, their morphologic similarities regionally and with temperate systems, and the paleoenvironmental and archaeological implications of their continued evolution.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 55, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2023AM-394384

© Copyright 2023 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.