Evidence of Repeated Wildfires Prior to Human Occupation on San Nicolas Island, California

Pigati, Jeffrey S.; McGeehin, John P.; Skipp, Gary L.; Muhs, Daniel R.

doi:10.3398/042.007.0107

Cited by 7 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…However, a recent study by Pigati et al on San Nicolas Island, 80 km to the south of the Northern Channel Islands, documented several 'burn events' in sediments dating to 25-37 ka BP, which overlaps with several known interstadial events. Pigati et al [100] found that wildfires were significant enough to be preserved in the geological record at least every 300-500 years; this is broadly comparable to modern pre-anthropogenic values. Unfortunately, the nature of the sedimentary archive, as well as difference in modern climate between Santa Rosa and San Nicolas Island, means these data are not suitable for comparison but does perhaps point a way forward to disentangling natural wildfire systems with ones that have been altered by humans.…”

Section: (C) Wider Significancementioning

confidence: 94%

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Fire history on the California Channel Islands spanning human arrival in the Americas

Hardiman

Scott

Pinter

et al. 2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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One contribution of 24 to a discussion meeting issue 'The interaction of fire and mankind'. Recent studies have suggested that the first arrival of humans in the Americas during the end of the last Ice Age is associated with marked anthropogenic influences on landscape; in particular, with the use of fire which, would have given even small populations the ability to have broad impacts on the landscape. Understanding the impact of these early people is complicated by the dramatic changes in climate occurring with the shift from glacial to interglacial conditions. Despite these difficulties, we here attempt to test the extent of anthropogenic influence using the California Channel Islands as a smaller, landscape-scale test bed. These islands are famous for the discovery of the 'Arlington Springs Man', which are some of the earliest human remains in the Americas. A unifying sedimentary charcoal record is presented from Arlington Canyon, Santa Rosa Island, based on over 20 detailed sedimentary sections from eight key localities. Radiocarbon dating was based on thin, fragile, long fragments of charcoal in order to avoid the 'inbuilt' age problem. Radiocarbon dating of 49 such fragments has allowed inferences regarding the fire and landscape history of the Canyon ca 19-11 ka BP. A significant period of charcoal deposition is identified approximately 14-12.5 ka BP and bears remarkable closeness to an estimated age range of the first human arrival on the islands.This article is part of the themed issue 'The interaction of fire and mankind'.

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Section: (C) Wider Significancementioning

confidence: 94%

“…A recent study by Pigati et al [100] on San Nicolas Island does, however, record evidence of natural wildfire between 25 and 37 ka BP, which suggest a similar fire return interval to the present.…”

Section: The Northern California Channel Islandsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Fire history on the California Channel Islands spanning human arrival in the Americas

Hardiman

Scott

Pinter

et al. 2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…Contrary evidence is ignored, and a broad range of terrestrial evidence is interpreted through the lens of a presumed extraterrestrial impact. On Santa Rosa Island (Pinter et al , ) as well as other California Channel Islands (Pigati et al , ), widespread and frequent fires occurred both before and after the onset of the Younger Dryas, recording predominantly low‐temperature surface fires. Stratigraphic concentrations of charcoal are related to the nature of the original fires but also to how much litter there was to char and a wide range of other taphonomic as well as transportation and depositional processes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interpreting palaeofire evidence from fluvial sediments: a case study from Santa Rosa Island, California, with implications for the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis

Scott

Hardiman

Pinter

et al. 2016

J Quaternary Science

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International audienceFluvial sequences from the late Pleistocene to the Holocene are exposed in Arlington Canyon, Santa Rosa Island, Northern Channel Islands, California, USA, including one outcrop that features centrally in the controversial hypothesis of an extra-terrestrial impact at the onset of the Younger Dryas. The fluvial sequence in Arlington Canyon contains a significant quantity and range of organic material, much of which has been charred. The purpose of this study was to systematically describe the key outcrop of the Arlington sequence, provide new radiocarbon age control and analyse organic material in the Arlington sediments within a rigorous palaeobotanical and palaeo-charcoal context. These analyses provide a test of previous claims for catastrophic impact-induced fire in Arlington Canyon. Carbonaceous spherular materials were identified as predominantly fungal sclerotia; ‘carbon elongates’ are predominantly arthropod coprolites, including termite frass. ‘Glassy carbon’ formed from the precipitation of tars during charcoalification. None of these materials indicate high-temperature formation or combustion. Charcoal and other materials in Arlington Canyon document widespread and frequent fires both before and after the onset of the Younger Dryas, recording predominantly low-temperature surface fires. In summary, we find no evidence in Arlington Canyon for an extra-terrestrial impact or catastrophic impact-induced fire

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“…Anderson et al (2010) reported evidence of Native American burning on Santa Rosa Island which increased in the late Holocene. Nevertheless, Pigati et al (2014) found evidence of repeated nonanthropogenic fires on San Nicolas Island, with a detailed radiocarbon chronology of charcoal ranging from 32,500 to ~20,700 14 C yr BP (~37,500 tõ 24,700 cal yr BP). Thus, although humans likely have been on the northern Channel Islands since at least ~11,000-10,000 14 C yr BP (or ~13,000-11,000 cal yr BP; see reviews in Erlandson et al 2008Erlandson et al , 2011, even the youngest ages from Pigati et al (2014) predate the oldest archaeological sites by a significant amount of time.…”

Section: Fire As a Factor In Landscape Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…mammoths, supposedly roasted over these fires, have never been reported. A second problem is that many of the fire areas have yielded radiocarbon ages that are far older than any accepted human presence in North America (Pigati et al 2014).…”

Section: Fire As a Factor In Landscape Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of Repeated Wildfires Prior to Human Occupation on San Nicolas Island, California

Cited by 7 publications

References 53 publications

Fire history on the California Channel Islands spanning human arrival in the Americas

Fire history on the California Channel Islands spanning human arrival in the Americas

Interpreting palaeofire evidence from fluvial sediments: a case study from Santa Rosa Island, California, with implications for the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis

The Contributions of Donald Lee Johnson to Understanding the Quaternary Geologic and Biogeographic History of the California Channel Islands

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