A stratigraphic analysis of buried soils within the Grand Sable Dunes, a dune field perched 90 m above the southern shore of Lake Superior, reveals a history of eolian activity apparently linked with lake-level fluctuations over the last 5500 yr. A relative rise in the water plane of the Nipissing Great Lakes initially destabilized the lakeward bluff face of the Grand Sable plateau between 5400 and 4600 14C yr B.P. This led to the burial of the Sable Creek soil by eolian sediments derived from the bluff face. Subsequent episodes of eolian activity appear to be tied to similar destabilizing events; high lake levels may have initiated at least four and perhaps eleven episodes of dune building as expressed by soil burials within the dunes. Intervening low lake levels probably correlate with soil profile development, which varies from the well-developed Sable Creek Spodosol catena to thin organic layers containing in-place stumps and tree trunks. Paleoecological reconstructions available for the area do not imply enough climatic change to account for the episodic dune activity. Burial of soils by fine-fraction sediments links dune-building episodes with destabilization of the lower lake-facing bluff, which is rich in fines.

No abstract

No abstract

Archaeologists commonly utilize spatial technologies to determine the occurrence probability of archaeological sites over large areas. Heavily forested areas of the northern Great Lakes have proven to be especially difficult places to carry out archaeological surveys. In this study, paleoshoreline mapping and site location analysis was used to develop a predictive model to identify likely prehistoric site locations from the Archaic Period in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Field survey efforts targeted locations where modeling efforts indicated high site probability, discovering 23 new prehistoric sites within this National Lakeshore. Based on associations with Nipissing Phase (mid-Holocene age) paleoshorelines, the presence of distinct lithic artifact technologies, paired with limited radiometric dating, the newly found sites are thought to be Late Archaic in cultural affiliation. Analysis of site settings indicates a preference for lagoon, barrier, and estuarine environments. The application of these spatial technologies demonstrates a targeted yet successful approach to field archaeology with limited field time and expansive areas.

No abstract