132 PITBLADO ET AL. Archaeology: North America

Little Delta Dune Site: A Late-Pleistocene Multicomponent Site in Central Ben A. Potter, Joshua D. Reuther, Peter M. Bowers, and Carol Gelvin-Reymiller

Recent surveys in central Alaska yielded eight buried prehistoric sites dating from the late Pleistocene to the mid-Holocene within a ca. 2000-acre inactive dune field (Potter et al. 2007). One of these, the Little Delta Dune site (49XBD-298), contains four components in well-stratified contexts (Figure 1), with the oldest component securely dated to the late Pleistocene. The site is located near the confluence of the Tanana and Little Delta Rivers on the crest of a 5- to 6-m-high linear loess-mantled sand dune feature. Preliminary investi- gations to date include a 16-m2 block excavation, 20 shovel tests, and 5 auger cores. Stratigraphy consists of over 520 cm of aeolian silts and fine-to-medium sands. Four lithostratigraphic units were defined at the site (from the top down): Unit IV, massive silt; Unit III, medium-sized sand; Unit II, massive silt; Unit I, fine-to-medium laminated sands. Soil development is confined to Unit IV, with the modern boreal forest (Typic Cryochrept) in the uppermost 60 cm, and numerous weakly expressed Ab horizons between 80–160 cm below surface, similar to Typic Cryorthents described at the nearby Broken Mam- moth and Swan Point sites (Dilley 1998:211). Initial stabilization of the dune feature and deposition of Unit I sand oc- curred prior to 11,320 ± 30 RCYBP. Silt aggradation (Unit II) began about this time and continued throughout the Holocene, lessening after about 8800 ± 40 RCYBP. Within these stratified deposits, four cultural components (C1–C4) were

Ben A. Potter, Department of Anthropology, University of Alaska, 310 Eielson Building, PO Box 757720, Fairbanks, AK 99775; e-mail: [email protected] Joshua D. Reuther, University of Arizona, Department of Anthropology, Tucson, AZ 85721-0030 and Northern Land Use Research, Inc., 600 University Avenue, Suite 6, Fairbanks, AK 99709; e-mail: [email protected] Peter M. Bowers, Northern Land Use Research, Inc., 600 University Avenue, Suite 6, Fairbanks, AK 99709; e-mail: [email protected] Carol Gelvin-Reymiller, Department of Anthropology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775; e-mail: [email protected] CRP 25, 2008 POTTER ET AL. 133

Figure 1. Generalized stratigraphic profile of the Little Delta Dune site. identified, separated by sterile sediments (nearly 100 cm between C1 and C2, 40 cm between C2 and C3, and ca. 20 cm between C3 and C4). Based on limited testing, Component 1 consists of 17 tertiary flakes and 320 faunal fragments (18.3 g) directly associated with a hearth feature (Feature 2) dating to 11,320 ± 30 RCYBP (13,269–13,124 CALYBP), the average of three statistically contemporaneous dates (two split samples and one cross- check sample). All dated samples were charred willow twigs (Salix sp.) and thus provide a good age estimate for site occupation. Flotation of Feature 2 yielded 28 carbonized seeds of the edible common bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), which ripens in autumn and may have been consumed by site occupants. Identifiable faunal specimens include long bones and phalanges from multiple species of waterfowl (Family Anatidae, swan-sized and -sized), 134 POTTER ET AL. Archaeology: North America large artiodactyl tooth enamel (e.g., bison, moose, or wapiti), small mammal remains, and a medium-sized canid upper P4 tooth (likely fox, Vulpes sp.) (total NISP = 14). All specimens were fragmented and interspersed among the lithics and hearth charcoal in a thin cultural layer. While the sample size is small, these data do correspond to the nearby Broken Mammoth CZ4 faunal assemblage dating to the same time period, composed largely of waterfowl, bison, and wapiti (Yesner 1996). A fall occupation is inferred based on the bearberry seeds and on the presence of waterfowl; waterfowl vulnerability is high when energy demand is high, which occurs during the early autumn molt (generally a two week time period) followed by fat accumulation prior to fall migration. Areas where staging occurs during migration is also a time of high vulnerability, especially for young birds unfamiliar with the location (Dehorter and Tamisier 1997; Hickman et al. 1988). Three other components consist of diffuse scatters of lithic artifacts and date to the early Holocene. Component 3 lithic materials, including a resharpened lanceolate/oblanceolate bifacial projectile point, are associated with a dated hearth feature (Feature 1) and burnt medium to very large sized mammal bone (maximum cortical thickness of 1.3 mm). Components 2 and 4 consist primarily of lithic debitage with no associated fauna. If the Clovis complex dates from 11,050 to 10,800 RCYBP (Waters and Stafford 2007; but see Haynes et al. 2007), then Component 1 is pre-Clovis, slightly younger than Swan Point CZ4, and coterminous with Broken Mammoth CZ4 and four components in the Nenana basin (Goebel et al. 1991; Holmes 1996, 2004; Powers and Hoffecker 1989). While no formal tools have been discovered with the limited testing to date, the stratigraphic and spatial integrity of the component, the presence of well-preserved identifiable fauna and a dated cultural feature at this early date indicates the potential to yield significant information on the earliest populations to enter the New World. As most Alaskan late-Pleistocene sites are associated with loess depositional episodes beginning ca. 12,000 RCYBP, like Swan Point, Dry Creek, and Walker Road (Holmes 1996; Powers et al. 1983; Dilley 1998; Hamilton and Goebel 1999), the potential to test deeper eolian sediments for earlier components adds to the significance of this site and the area as a whole. A long-term multi-disciplinary research project is now being developed for sites within this dune field. The authors thank the 2006 and 2007 field crews for their efforts, NSF Arizona AMS Facility for expediting the radiocarbon date analysis, and Claire Alix for wood identifications. Funding was provided by ICF International as part of a Section 106 compliance survey.

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