Sponsor
Funding for this project was provided by the Newman Grant of the Department of Anthropology at Portland State University, the annual research grant of the Association of Oregon Archaeologists (2009-AOA), and the annual research grant of the Oregon Archaeological Society (OAS-2009).
Published In
Quaternary Research
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-22-2014
Subjects
Geological time, Environmental geology, Pleistocene Epoch, Stratigraphic geology, Megafaunal extinctions, Pleistocene -- Pacific Northwest, Stable isotopes
Abstract
Since the mid-19th century, western Oregon's Willamette Valley has been a source of remains from a wide variety of extinct megafauna. Few of these have been previously described or dated, but new chronologic and isotopic analyses in conjunction with updated evaluations of stratigraphic context provide substantial new information on the species present, timing of losses, and paleoenvironmental conditions. Using subfossil material from the northern valley, we use AMS radiocarbon dating, stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) analyses, and taxonomic dietary specialization and habitat preferences to reconstruct environments and to develop a local chronology of events that we then compare with continental and regional archaeological and paleoenvironmental data. Analysis of twelve bone specimens demonstrates the presence of bison, mammoth, horse, sloth, and mastodon from ~15,000–13,000 cal yr BP. The latest ages coincide with changing regional climate corresponding to the onset of the Younger Dryas. It is suggested that cooling conditions led to increased forest cover, and, along with river aggradation, reduced the area of preferred habitat for the larger bodied herbivores, which contributed to the demise of local megafauna. Archaeological evidence for megafauna–human interactions in the Pacific Northwest is scarce, limiting our ability to address the human role in causing extinction.
DOI
10.1016/j.yqres.2014.09.003
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/17988
Citation Details
Gilmour, Daniel McGowan; Butler, Virginia L.; O'Conner, Jim E.; Byrd Davis, Edward; Culleton, Brendan J.; Kennett, Douglas J.; and Hodgins, Gregory, "Chronology and Ecology of Late Pleistocene Megafauna in the Northern Willamette Valley, Oregon" (2014). Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations. 95.
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/17988
Description
Published 2014 by Elsevier Inc. The definitive version is available here.
To the best of our knowledge, this work was authored as part of the Contributor's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.