Reconstruction and Analysis of Native American land use during the late Holocene

 
 
 
 

Reconstruction and Analysis of Native American land use during the late Holocene

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Title: Reconstruction and Analysis of Native American land use during the late Holocene
Author: White, David M.
Description: The effects of prehistoric and modern land use may be recorded in cave stalagmites and clastic sediments as variations in d13C, which describes the relative influence of C3 versus C4 plants or biological productivity. Mass spectrometry of organic material in cave sediments display fluctuations in d13Corg representing changes in floral composition/productivity at the time of deposition. I report anomalous stable isotope excursions (d13C) in stalagmites of a West Virginia cave that are temporally associated with Native American presence in the study area. I use regional climate histories, pollen data, and independent climate-driven d13C timelines to identify histories suspected of containing land use signals. Hydrologic and geomorphic responses are represented by changes in sediment characteristics and subtle grain size variations. Residual anomalies represent pre-European land use or undiscovered terrestrial processes operating within the study area. Native American land use appears to be the most attributable force affecting flora and geomorphology of the Buckeye Creek watershed since 4000 B.P.
Permanent Link: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1181846462
http://hdl.handle.net/2374.OX/14522
Date: 2007

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