Palaeoecology of the South Wellesley Archipelago. A history of human occupation and environmental change

Mackenzie, Lydia

doi:10.14264/uql.2016.1077

Cited by 4 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 193 publications

(639 reference statements)

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“…Results indicate a potential hiatus in coastal progradation between 3000 and 1900 cal BP associated with a decline in precipitation and increased climate variability after 3700 cal BP (Lees 1987;Lees et al 1990;Shulmeister and Lees 1992) with reduced sediment transport to the area. Results indicate a more recent phase of dune formation and coastal progradation from 1900 cal BP, consistent with palynological research showing coastal wetland development and mangrove expansion since 1250 cal BP (Mackenzie 2016;Moss et al 2015).…”

Section: Site Description and Settingsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…The associated deposit is dominated by non-economic mollusc species, large amounts of shell hash, high rates of shell fragmentation, and low pollen concentrations (Mackenzie 2016;Moss et al 2015;Peck 2016), indicating that deposition was associated with near-shore wave and aeolian processes. Pollen records show a mixed mangrove community dominated by Rhizophora sp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Murdumurdu was recorded during pedestrian transect surveys in 2012 and subsequent palaeoecological investigations at the nearby Marralda Swamp (see Mackenzie 2016;Mackenzie et al 2017;Moss et al 2015). The site is one of a number of surface shell exposures documented along the low coastal dunes between Jirrkamirndiyarrb and Mirdidingki Creek (Figures 1-2).…”

Section: Site Description and Settingmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…was present in the swamp between 1250 and 850 cal BP (Mackenzie 2016;Mackenzie et al 2017). Mangrove taxa declined after 900 cal BP as aquatic taxa increased, indicating a transition to a brackish/freshwater wetland by c.800 cal BP.…”

Section: Site Description and Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…declined further at 400 cal BP, with freshwater aquatic and woodland species increasing, indicating the final phase of freshwater swamp development. An increase in macroscopic charcoal between 350 and 150 cal BP suggests a larger area was burned around Marralda Swamp, with microscopic charcoal reflecting an increase in regional fire activity since AD 1950 (Mackenzie 2016).…”

Section: Site Description and Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Short-term late Holocene dry season occupation and sandy-mud flat focused foraging at Murdumurdu, Bentinck Island, Gulf of Carpentaria

Twaddle

Sloss

Lowe

et al. 2017

QAR

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Archaeological survey, excavations, and analyses of the Murdumurdu shell midden on Bentinck Island, Gulf of Carpentaria are reported. Patterns of subsistence as well as the timing and periodicity of site use are investigated through quantification of cultural materials, AMS radiocarbon dating, stable isotopic analysis of Marcia hiantina shell carbonates (δ 18 O and δ 13 C), magnetic susceptibility analysis of the deposits and palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. Exploitation of shellfish focused on sandy-mud flat species (especially M. hiantina and Gafrarium pectinatum) with occupation occurring exclusively during the dry season (May-August). Radiocarbon dating reveals that the main period of occupation was short, albeit intense and occurred c.300 years ago. Initiation of occupation closely follows the establishment of freshwater conditions in the adjacent Marralda Swamp. These factors suggest that use of Murdumurdu was limited, potentially representing a single deposition event or multiple short, discrete episodes, in a landscape rich with similar archaeological deposits.

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Section: Site Description and Settingsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Site Description and Settingmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Site Description and Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Site Description and Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Short-term late Holocene dry season occupation and sandy-mud flat focused foraging at Murdumurdu, Bentinck Island, Gulf of Carpentaria

Twaddle

Sloss

Lowe

et al. 2017

QAR

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Robust local vegetation records from dense archaeological shell matrixes: a palynological analysis of the Thundiy shell deposit, Bentinck Island, Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia

Moss

Ulm

Mackenzie

et al. 2016

Archaeol Anthropol Sci

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This study investigates the palynological remains (both fossil pollen and charcoal) recovered from the Thundiy shell midden deposit, Bentinck Island, Gulf of Carpentaria, northern Australia, to provide a vegetation and fire record for this site, which sheds light on human occupation of the southern Wellesley Archipelago over the late Holocene. Results show that the development of a high density shell deposit by human activities was directly responsible for pollen preservation, possibly through the creation of a moist, anaerobic environment that reduces oxidation of pollen grains. The presence of recoverable pollen from a shell midden deposit from Bentinck Island provides a valuable new proxy to provide greater context for archaeological records, particularly in terms of local vegetation information and potential insight into human land management practices.

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A late-Holocene record of coastal wetland development and fire regimes in tropical northern Australia

2020

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This study presents three records of environmental change during the late-Holocene from wetlands across Bentinck Island in the South Wellesley Islands, northern Australia. Radiometric dating provided ages for sediment cores with the longest chronology spanning the last 1250 cal. yr BP. Palynological results show the diverse mangrove community transitioned to woodland- and wetland-dominated vegetation over the last 850 years on the southeast coast. The key driver of this landscape change was likely late-Holocene sea level regression and coastal progradation in the Gulf of Carpentaria. This study found freshwater wetlands expanded across Bentick Island over the last 500 years, with sedges and rushes peaking in the last 350 years. Macroscopic and microscopic charcoal records, coupled with archaeological evidence, highlights the spatial and temporal variation in fire regimes across the island, reflecting the traditional fire management practices of the Kaiadilt people during the late-Holocene. This study finds a significant increase in charcoal accumulation in the 1900s when Kaiadilt fire practices were disrupted and the South Wellesley Islands were abandoned. The pollen record reflects little change in the vegetation despite the shifting fire regime, highlighting the importance of multi-proxy approaches to reconstructing past environments in tropical northern Australia where vegetation is adapted to fire.

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Palaeoecology of the South Wellesley Archipelago. A history of human occupation and environmental change

Cited by 4 publications

References 193 publications

Short-term late Holocene dry season occupation and sandy-mud flat focused foraging at Murdumurdu, Bentinck Island, Gulf of Carpentaria

Short-term late Holocene dry season occupation and sandy-mud flat focused foraging at Murdumurdu, Bentinck Island, Gulf of Carpentaria

Robust local vegetation records from dense archaeological shell matrixes: a palynological analysis of the Thundiy shell deposit, Bentinck Island, Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia

A late-Holocene record of coastal wetland development and fire regimes in tropical northern Australia

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