BERING LAND BRIDGE CULTURAL RESOURCE STUDY FINAL REPORT submitted to The Bureau of Land Management Outer Continental Shelf Office by The University Museum University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska In fulfillment of Contract #08550-CT5-45 October 12, 1976 i. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Geology, Environmental Setting and Sedimentation . 1 (G.D. Sharma) Ecological Conditions and Marine Mammal Distributions of Beringia during the Last Wisconsin Submergence . 54 (Sam W. Stoker) Terrestrial Vertebrates and their Effect in the Distribution of Human Habitation Sites . 115 (R.D. Guthrie) A Synthesis of Circum-Beringian Prehistory and Delineation of Regions of High Archeological Site Potential . 146 (E. James Dixon, Jr.) Introduction to Phases II and III . 213 Phase II -- Ship Cruise Report . 214 (Sam W. Stoker) Marine Archeological Survey. 227 (E. James Dixon, Jr.) Magnetometer Results . 238 (Sam W. Stoker) Recommendations for Procedure and Equipment to be Employed . 241 (Sam W. Stoker and E. James Dixon, Jr.) Areas Recommended for Survey. 247 (E. James Dixon, Jr.) / Terrestrial Archeological Survey of St. Matthew Island . 248 (E. James Dixon, Jr.) Terrestrial Archeological Survey of St. Matthew Island . 263 (Sam W. Stoker) A Survey for Fossil Terrestrial Mammals on St. Matthew Island . 267 (Russell D. Guthrie) Bibliography. 273 ii. ILLUSTRATIONS Page Fig. 1-1 Quarternary Marine ‘Transgressions Recorded on , 3 Alaskan Coasts Fig. 1-2. Sequence of Climatic ‘Events in Beringia 4 Fig. 1-3 Bathymetric Map of the Bering Sea 17 Fig. 1-4 Bathymetric Map of the Chukchi Sea 18 Fig. 1-5 Bering Sea, Standstill I, 22,000 B.P. 20 Fig. 1-6 Bering Sea, Standstill II, 16,000” B.P. 22 Fig. 1-7 Bering Sea, Standstill III, 11,000 B.P. 24 Fig. 1-8 Chukchi/Arctic Coast, Standstill I, 22,OOO B.P. 26 Fig. 1–9 Chukchi/Arctic Coast, Standstill II, 16,000 B.P. 27 Fig. 1-10 Chukchi/Arctic Coast, Standstill III, 11,000 B.P. 28 Fig. 2-1 Circumpolar Projection of the Northern Hemisphere 55 during the Height of the Late Wisconsin (ea. 18,000 B.P.). Fig. 2-2 Marine Species of Probable Interest to Early Man, 68 with Ecological and Behavioral Notations Fig. 2-3 Species Inhabiting the Chukchi/Arctic 77 Fig. 2–4 Marine Near–Surface Current Structure, High 83 Productivity Zones, and Fresh Water Sources of the Bering Sea, Standstill I, 22,000 B.P. Fig. 2-5 Marine Faunal Concentration Zones, Summer, Bering 87 Sea, Standstill I, 22,000 B.P. Fig. 2-6 Marine Faunal Concentration Zones, Winter, Bering 90 Sea, Standstill I, 22,000 B.P. Fig. 2-7 Chukchi/Arctic Coast, Standstill I, 22,000 B.P. 92 Fig. 2-8 Marine Near–surface Current Structure, High 93 Productivity Zones, and Fresh Water Sources of the Bering Sear Standstill II, 16,000 B.P. Fig. 2-9 Marine Faunal Concentration Zones, Winter, Bering 96 Sea, Standstill II, 16,000 B.P. iii, Illustrations (continued) Page Fig. 2-10 Marine Faunal Concentration Zones, Summer, Bering 97 Sea, Standstill II, 16,000 B.P. Fig. 2-11 Chukchi/Arctic Coast, Standstill II, 16,000 B.P. 100 Fig. 2-12 Marine Near-surface Current Structure, High 102 Productivity Zones, and Fresh Water Sources of the Bering Sea, Standstill III, 11,000 B.P. Fig. 2-13 Marine Faunal Concentration Zones, Winter, Bering 105 Sea, Standstill III, 11,000 B.P. Fig. 2-14 Marine Faunal Concentration Zones, Sumner, Bering 108 Sea, Standstill III, 11,000 B.P. ‘ Fig. 2-15 Marine Near-surface Current Structure; Chukchi 109 Sea, Standstill III, 11,000 B.P. Fig. 2-16 Marine Mammal Concentration Zones, Summer, 106 Chukchi/Arctic, Stillstand III, 11,000 B.P. Fig. 2-17 Marine Species or Species Groups whose Distribution 113 was Considered in the Possible Ranking of Human Habitation Sites, in Descending Order of Importance, with Ecological Considerations Fig. 3–1 Compilation of Paleontological Sites containing 120 Mammoth Remains. Fig. 3–2 The Major Trend among the Three Chief Species 126 of the “Mammoth Fauna” was a Reduction in Body Size. Fig. 3-3 Generalized Molar Patterns of Predicrostonyx hopkinsi 127 and Species of Dicrostonyx. Fig. 3–4 Radiocarbon Dates for Pleistocene Fauna. 129 Fig. 3-5 Bottleneck Prominences between Mountain Range 132 Connections and Passes. Fig. 3-6 Prominences on River Terraces. 134 Fig. 3-7 Yukon River Dumps Sediment onto Southwestern 135 Portion of Submerged Shelf Fig. 3-8. Terrestrial Mammal Concentration Zones, Bering Sea, 141 Stillstand I, 22,000 B.P. Fig. 3-9 Terrestrial Mammal Concentration Zonesr Chukchi 142 Sea, Stillstand I, 22,000 B.P. iv. Illustrations (continued) Page Fig. 3-1o “Terrestrial Mammal Concentration Zonesr Bering 143 Sear Stillstand 11, 16,000 B.P. Fig. 3-n Terrestrial Mammal Concentration Zonesr Chukchi 144 Sea, Stillstand II, 16,000 B.P. Fig. 3–12 Terrestrial Mammal Concentration Zones, Bering 145 Sea, Stillstand III, 11,000 B.P. Fig. 4-1 Pseudo-artifacts from Pleistocene Deposits near 156 Fairbanks, Alaska Fig. 4-2 Glacial Geology of the Sagavanirktok Valley: 162 Reconnaissance Map. Fig. 4-3 Table of Radiocarbon Dates from the Upper 163 Sagavanirktok Valley. Fig. 4-4 A Distribution of Approximately 4,000 Holocene-age 172 Archeological Sites in Relation to Alaska's Major Ecosystems. Fig. 4-5 Speculative Model for the Late Wisconsin Deglaciation 184 of North America. Fig. 4-6 Proto-Diuktai – Chronological Placement. 188 Fig. 4–7 Ascribed Quadrangle Values and Sediment Thickness 208 in Meters. Fig. 4-8 Bar Graph of Probability Values for U.S.G.S. 209 Quadrangles on the Bering and Chukchi Outer Continental Shelves. Fig. 4-9 Frequency Polygon and Normalized Curve of Probability 210. Ranking for U.S.G.S. Quadrangles on the Bering and Chukchi Outer Continental Shelves. Fig. 4-1o High, Medium and Low Probability Quadrangles on the 211. Bering and Chukchi Outer Continental Shelves. Fig. 5-1 Square Mile Quadrant and Survey Tracks 219 Fig. 5-2 Distance (meters) from Shore Control Stations at “. 220 Navigation Checkpoints along Survey Tracks. Fig. 5-3 St. George Island and Survey Site Location. 229 Fig. 5-4 Bathymetric Contours of Survey Quadrant. 233 Fig. 5-5 Side–scan Sonar and Sub-bottom Profile Records 235 . Illustrations (continued) Page Fig. .5-6 Total Field Intensity Geomagnetic Contours. 239 Fig. 6-1 Dixon and Bacon Survey Route Map Depicting Camps 250 and Historic Site Locations. Fig. 6-2 Stoker Survey Route Map. 251’ Fig. 6-3 Location of Test Excavations. 252 Fig. 6-4 St. Matthew Island 254 Fig. 6-5 Remains of a Lean–to, Probably Dating to U.S. 256 Coast Guard Occupation, 1944. Fig. 6-6 Test Pit Excavation, Interior St.’ Matthew Island 257 , Fig. 6-7 Log and Baleen Exposed by Beach Erosion. 259 Fig. 6-8 Close–up of Log and Baleen in situ. 260 Fig. 6-9 Guthrie Survey Route Map. 272 . vi. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 9 The researchers would like to thank ~. William Civish, BLM- COAR for his cooperation and participation throughout the course of the Phase I research and his assistance on board the R/V ACONA.’ His cooperation greatly facilitated the execution of all phases of the research. The valuable Russian translations by Ms. Katherine Arndt contributed much new data which would otherwise not have been available to this study. 14r. David C. Plaskett provided valuable research assistance and is to be commended for his infinite patience in the preparation of the species distribution maps and other graphics. I ~s. Dixie Brown also provided research support and assisted in typing and proofreading the manuscript. We wish to express our thanks to Mr. Barry McWayne for the excellent photographic support he provided to the project. We are also indebted to David M. Hopkins for stimulating conver- sations and several maps of the Beringian area which he made available to the project. Mr. Robert Spiess, Mr. Gary Freitagr m. Fred Short and W. Cary Brown provided valuable assistance in executing the marine archeo- logical survey. We would also like to thank hr. Wayne Lewis and m. Alexi Prokopioff of the Aleut Corporation and the residents of St. George Island for permission to establish on-shore transmitters on the Island. We appreciate the assistance provided by Mr. Roger Gentry of the National Marine Fisheries for surface transportation on St. George Island. I I We would also like to thank the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for permission to conduct the terrestrial archeological survey of St. Matthew Island. We also express our appreciation to the many researchers too numerous to mention here who gave so freely of their time and shared their data. Special thanks are due to Cindy Lippincott whose” dedication to the project and typing the manuscript through its many revisions is warmly appreciated. vii, ., INTRODUCTION The following report was produced by the University of Alaska Museum, Fairbanks, Alaska, under Contract #08550-CT5-45 with the Bureau of Land Management Outer Continental Shelf Office. The purpose of the research was to identify areas of high archeological probability on Alaska’s outer continental shelf and to assess the feasibility of actually detecting submerged archeological sites. The study is to be used as a planning tool by the BLM-OCS office to”assure the preservation and management of cultural resources on the outer continental shelf in relation to oil lease activities. Phase I of the research was to focus on an interdisciplinary research approach of the critical problem of isolating regions of high archeological probability on the Bering and Chukchi outer continental shelves off Alaska’s coast. Phases II and III of the project attempted to locate archeological sites of Pleistocene age in the Bering Sea.