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Archeological Investigations at Site 42Sa20286, Canyonlands National Park, Utah

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Archeological Investigations at Site 42Sa20286, Canyonlands National Park, Utah ARCHEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT SITE 42SA20286, CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK, UTAH BY Steve Dominguez Midwest Archeological Center Technical Report No. 36 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service Midwest Archeological Center Lincoln, Nebraska ABSTRACT Site 42SA20286 is an open lithic scatter located on the west bank of Salt Creek in the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, Utah. The site is considered eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places by consensus with the Utah State Historic Preservation Officer. In September 1989, subsurface investigations were conducted in and near areas of the site to be impacted by bridge construction. Three geomorphic units were identified within the site and can be differentiated by depositional conditions. The lowest unit cannot be reliably dated. A single radiocarbon sample from the middle unit tentatively places it within the Neoglacial or Late Archaic. The uppermost unit and surface deposits appear to contain Anasazi components. Culturally derived materials consist of flaked lithics, bone, and charcoal. The lithic assemblage indicates dependence on a limited set of formal tools augmented by expedient items produced with local materials. Stratigraphic changes in the lithic assem- blage suggest chronological shifts in use, technology, and group range. The faunal assemblage indicates use of small vertebrates, especially mammals. Macrobotanical specimens included Celtis seed coats and fragments of an unidentifiable burned seed coat. No features were identified in or near the area investigated. Although results indicate the presence of significant archeological deposits on portions of this site, none were located in the area of direct impact. As a consequence, the sample recovered during these investigations is considered an adequate sample of the area directly impacted by construction. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract .......................................................1 . Table of Contents ................................................11 List of Tables ...................................................iv List of Figures ...................................................vi Introduction ....................................................1 Environment ....................................................5 Background Information ............................................7 CultureHistory ...............................................7 Previous Archeological Investigations ...............................8 Research Contexts ................................................9 Research Orientations ...........................................9 Specific Research Questions .....................................10 Methods and Field Investigations ..................................... 15 DataRecovery ...............................................15 Field Procedures .............................................16 Laboratory Procedures .........................................17 Areas Investigated ............................................19 Description of Investigations .....................................19 Stratigraphy. Geomorphology. Paleoenvironment .......................... 21 Surface Description ...........................................21 Profiles and Stratigraphy ....................................... 22 Environments and Profile Development ............................. 22 Intrasite Correlation of Units .....................................24 Dating ....................................................25 Natural Levels. Field Specimen Numbers. and Strata .................... 25 Macrobotanical Materials .......................................25 Molluscs. by Bill Wayne .......................................26 Vertebrates ................................................ 27 Extrasite Correlations and Paleoenvironmental Implications ............... 29 Cultural Materials ...............................................33 Assemblage Overview .........................................33 Raw Materials and Sources ...................................... 34 Material Type Definitions ......................................34 Definitions and Descriptive Statistics of Artifact Categories ............... 36 Artifact Assemblage Material Use Patterns ..............................43 Material Use Patterns in Debitage .................................43 Material Use Patterns in Tools ................................... 46 Summary of Material Use Patterns ................................. 48 Stratigraphic Distribution of Artifacts .................................. 51 Thesample .................................................51 Proposed Chronological Variation in Lithic Technology .................. 51 Descriptions of Assemblages from Individual Strata .................... 55 Discussion ....................................................61 Paleoenvironments and Geomorphological Processes .................... 61 Chronology and Cultural Affiliations ............................... 63 Technological Resources and Technology ............................ 64 Subsistence. Economy. and Adaptation .............................. 66 Settlement and Spatial Organization ................................67 Cultural Interactions: External Contacts and Trade ..................... 68 Conclusions ................................................... 69 Management ............................................69 Research ................................................ 69 References Cited ................................................ 73 Tables ....................................................... 81 Figures ...................................................... 109 Appendix A: Soil Profiles and Pit Summaries .......................... 121 Appendix B: Level Assignments for Field Specimen Numbers ............... 129 Appendix C: Notes on Identified Mollusc Species ....................... 133 Appendix D: Vertebrates .........................................135 LIST OF TABLES 1 . Distribution of non-intrusive seed coat fragments by field specimen number and by natural level ....................................81 2 . Stratigraphic distribution of snails ................................82 3 . Vertebrate taxa by stratum .....................................83 4 . Weathering stage distribution by arbitrary levels ...................... 84 5 . Weathering stage distribution by strata in FS 21 and 22 ................. 84 6 . Macrodebitage reductive stage by material type ...................... 85 7. Dimension by material type of all macrodebitage ..................... 86 8. Dimension by reductive stages .................................. 87 9. Dimension by material type of selected reductive stages for chert and chalcedony .............................................88 10. Average ratio of macrodebitage thickness to maximum dimension by material type ............................................ 89 11 . Average ratio of thickness maximum dimension by material type for selected reductive stages .................................... 89 12 . Presence of cortex by material type. for macrodebitage ................ 90 13a. Frequencies of microdebitage. macrodebitage. and tools by material types .... 91 13b. Chert and chalcedony microdebitage frequencies . 91 14. Distribution of tool type by material type . 92 15. Means and standard deviations for tool and core dimensions by material type . 93 16. Means and standard deviations for edge angles by material type . 93 17. Frequencies of artifact classes by excavation unit in Stratum A ........... 94 18. Frequencies of artifact classes by excavation unit in Stratum B . 94 19. Frequencies of artifact classes by excavation unit in Stratum C . 95 20. Distribution of macrodebitage flake type by stratigraphic unit . 95 21. Distribution of material type by stratigraphic unit for macrodebitage, cores, and tools ................................................. 96 22. Diversity and evenness measures for material types and sources . 96 23. Mean dimensions of Interior I flakes by stratum and by material type . 97 24. Mean dimensions of Interior II flakes by stratum and by material type . 98 25. Macrodebitage flake type by material type in Stratum C . 99 26. Interior I and Interior II flake dimensions in Stratum C . 100 27. Microdebitage frequencies for chert and chalcedony in Stratum C . 101 28. Macrodebitage flake type by material type in Stratum B . 102 29. Average dimensions of chert and chalcedony Interior flakes in Stratum B . 103 30. Microdebitage frequencies for chert and chalcedony in Stratum B . 104 31. Distribution of macrodebitage flake type by material type in Stratum A 105 32. Means and standard deviations for dimensions of Interior I and Interior II flakes in Stratum A . 106 33. Microdebitage frequencies for chert and chalcedony in Stratum A . 107 v ---------------···--~···-~-·----------- LIST OF FIGURES 109 . ~ . 1. Project location 2. Location of site 42SA20286 . 110 3. Map of areas investigated . 111 4. Map of subsurface investigations . 112 5. Overview of the site, looking south from road . 113 6. Overview of the site, looking north across road . 113 7. Profile, 185N322E (Excavation Unit G) . 114 8. Stratigraphic correlations among excavation units and shovel probes . 115 9. Cores ~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . - . 116 10. Utilized and retouched flakes . 117 11. Bifaces ................................................. 118 12. Tools and cores arranged by material type 119 Vl INTRODUCTION From September 18 to 29, 1989, field investigations were conducted
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