Research Article Archaeological Landscapes during the 10–8 ka Lake Stanley Lowstand on the Alpena-Amberley Ridge, Lake Huron Elizabeth Sonnenburg1,* and John O’Shea2 1Stantec Consulting Ltd., Ontario, Canada 2Museum of Anthropological Archaeology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA Correspondence Archaeologists have long been interested in the Lake Stanley lowstand event *Corresponding author; E-mail: (10–8 ka) in the Lake Huron basin, as archaeological sites from the Late Pale-
[email protected] oindian/Early Archaic cultural periods were inundated by subsequent high wa- Received ter levels. Recent archaeological and paleoenvironmental investigations of this 15 January 2015 submerged landscape have documented stone structures that were likely uti- Revised lized for caribou hunting by these cultural groups during the late Lake Stanley 17 April 2016 lowstand phase of Lake Huron. In 2011 and 2012, a total of 67 core, sediment, Accepted and rock samples were collected in a 50 km2 area by divers and a ponar sam- 20 April 2016 pler deployed from a survey vessel. These samples were analyzed for sediment Scientific editing by Rolfe Mandel size, sorting, morphology and source, organic and carbonate content, testate amoebae, and organic materials. A series of indicators, including distinct mi- Published online in Wiley Online Library crofossil assemblages (such as species only found in sphagnum moss and boggy (wileyonlinelibrary.com). arctic ponds), rooted trees (tamarack and spruce), and charcoal (ca. 8–9000 yr old) reveal a series of microenvironments that are consistent with a subarctic doi 10.1002/gea.21590 climate. The analysis of the Alpena-Amberley Ridge provides a detailed pic- ture of the environment exploited by ancient peoples during the Lake Stanley lowstand period.