Holocene and latest Pleistocene cirque glaciations in the Shuswap Highland, British Columbia

1978 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 865-873 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Duford ◽  
G. D. Osborn

Ages of glacial deposits in cirques of the Shuswap Highland, British Columbia are approximated or bracketed using tephrochronology, radiocarbon dating and lichenometry. There is evidence for two minor Holocene glacial advances. The younger, named the Raft Mountain Advance, is defined by the type Raft Mountain moraine, which is about 100 years old judging from Rhizocarpon lichens. No volcanic ash is found on the moraine or its equivalents. The older, named the Dunn Peak Advance, is defined by the type Dunn Peak moraine and equivalent deposits in the Dunn Peak area. These deposits bear Mazama ash and are thus older than 6600 years; one of the moraines has a minimum radiocarbon age of about 7400 years. The deposits are younger than the Late Wisconsin deglaciation in southern B.C. (about 11 000 years BP). In addition, an earlier event, possibly a stillstand, is represented by a moraine (the Harper Creek moraine) downstream of the type Dunn Peak moraine. This moraine is also bracketed between 6600 and 11 000 years in age. The Dunn Peak Advance may be correlative with an Early Holocene Advance reported from the Canadian Rockies and northern American Rockies, and the Raft Mountain Advance is correlative with very recent advances reported from several parts of the world.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xijun Ni ◽  
Qiang Li ◽  
Thomas A. Stidham ◽  
Yangheshan Yang ◽  
Qiang Ji ◽  
...  

AbstractHereditary hierarchy is one of the major features of complex societies. Without a written record, prehistoric evidence for hereditary hierarchy is rare. Intentional cranial deformation (ICD) is a cross-generational cultural practice that embodies social identity and culture beliefs in adults through the behavior of altering infant head shape. Therefore, ICD is usually regarded as an archeological clue for the occurrence of hereditary hierarchy. With a calibrated radiocarbon age of 11245-11200 years BP, a fossil skull of an adult male displaying ICD discovered in Northeastern China is among the oldest-known ICD practices in the world. Along with the other earliest global occurrences of ICD, this discovery points to the early initiation of complex societies among the non-agricultural local societies in Northeastern Asia in the early Holocene. A population increase among previously more isolated terminal Pleistocene/early Holocene hunter-gatherer groups likely increased their interactions, possibly fueling the formation of the first complex societies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 593-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
James C. Chatters ◽  
James W. Brown ◽  
Steven Hackenberger ◽  
Patrick McCutcheon ◽  
Jonathan Adler

Radiocarbon dating using charcoal and bone collagen, two standards of archaeological chronology, can be difficult to impossible in environments where natural burning is common and bone does not preserve well. In such settings, charcoal ages cannot always be trusted and collagen is unavailable. Calcined bone can be a viable alternative medium in these situations but it has rarely been exploited in the Americas. One area that could benefit from its use is the forested Pacific Northwest. We compare calcined bone ages with charcoal and/or collagen dates from individual features or discrete cultural strata in 10 Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia sites dating between 9000 and 100 B.P. Resulting radiocarbon age estimates based on calcined bone closely match those based on charcoal and/or collagen in nearly all cases. We obtained calcined bone dates from three additional Holocene-aged sites that had not previously produced accurate results, obtaining findings consistent with estimates based on cross dating. Preserving well where all other organic media of cultural origin are lost or unreliable, calcined bone holds promise for dating sites in conifer forests and other acidic soil settings, and can allow researchers to refine archaeological sequences that have long defied accurate chronometric analysis.


1983 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 776-786 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Kearney ◽  
B. H. Luckman

A pollen and macrofossil study of peat sediments in Tonquin Pass, British Columbia provides the oldest dated record of vegetational and climatic changes in the middle Canadian Rockies. Paleoecological interpretation of these events dated by tephrochronology and radiocarbon dating is facilitated by comparisons with other regional pollen profiles.Late Wisconsin ice receded from Tonquin Pass prior to 10 000 years BP. By 9700 years BP a Pinus contorta forest with an understory dominated by ferns had colonized the area. The climate of this period was cool and moist. Following this interval was a brief episode (9000–8040 years BP) of haploxylon pine dominance during which the climate became colder. A long warm period beginning by 8040 years BP was characterized by desiccation of local meadows and fens and invasions of these areas by trees, principally Picea. Dated fossil Picea and Abies logs from alpine bogs within Jasper National Park document that timberlines had advanced beyond present limits by 8770 years BP. These data indicate a considerable lag in the registration of this interval in the Tonquin record.During the last 4300 years the retreat of trees from meadows and increases in the representation of several alpine taxa indicate that generally moist and cool conditions have prevailed. Evidence for Holocene timberline fluctuations in the Jasper area suggests an overall lowering in timberline elevation and further cooling since 1700 years BP.


2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-123
Author(s):  
Irka Hajdas ◽  
Mantana Maurer ◽  
Maria Belen Röttig

AbstractNumerous ruins around the world lack the radiometric dating due to the scarcity of organic carbon. Here, we present results of radiocarbon dating of mortar samples from an early Medieval church Hohenrätien GR, Switzerland, which was dated to the early 6th century, based on typology. The method of dating mortars, which is currently applied at the ETH laboratory, involves sieving the crushed mortar, selection of grain size 45−63 μm and sequential dissolution resulting in four fractions of CO2 collected in a 3-second interval each. Two mortar samples, which were analyzed using sequential dissolution and one by dating a bulk of lime lump, resulted in a combined radiocarbon age of 1551±21 BP translating to the calendar age of 427−559 AD.


1959 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 815-817 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Terasmae ◽  
J. G. Fyles

Plant-bearing beds have been discovered by J. G. Fyles in late-glacial deposits from the Englishman River section, Vancouver Island, B.C. Radiocarbon dating indicated an age of ca. 12,000 years for these beds. Fossil cones of Pinus contoria Dougl. and leaves of Dryas drummondii Richards, were discovered and identified. Palynological study indicates that climate at the time was colder than the present.


2010 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 412-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex J. Woods ◽  
Don Heppner ◽  
Harry H. Kope ◽  
Jennifer Burleigh ◽  
Lorraine Maclauchlan

BC’s forests have already faced two simultaneous, globally significant, epidemics linked to climate change; the Dothistroma needle blight epidemic in NW BC and the massive mountain pine beetle epidemic throughout the BC Interior. Building on these experiences, we have compiled our best estimates of how we believe other forest health agents may behave as climate change continues to influence our forests. We have drawn on literature from around the world but have focused on the situation in BC. We have made management recommendations based on what we have seen so far and what we expect to come.Key words: climate change, forest health, forest insects, forest pathogens, forest management, British Columbia


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dian Fiantis ◽  
Frisa Ginting ◽  
Gusnidar ◽  
M. Nelson ◽  
Budiman Minasny

Volcanic eruptions affect land and humans globally. When a volcano erupts, tons of volcanic ash materials are ejected to the atmosphere and deposited on land. The hazard posed by volcanic ash is not limited to the area in proximity to the volcano, but can also affect a vast area. Ashes ejected from volcano’s affect people’s daily life and disrupts agricultural activities and damages crops. However, the positive outcome of this natural event is that it secures fertile soil for the future. This paper examines volcanic ash (tephra) from a soil security view-point, mainly its capability. This paper reviews the positive aspects of volcanic ash, which has a high capability to supply nutrients to plant, and can also sequester a large amount of carbon out of the atmosphere. We report some studies around the world, which evaluated soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation since volcanic eruptions. The mechanisms of SOC protection in volcanic ash soil include organo-metallic complexes, chemical protection, and physical protection. Two case studies of volcanic ash from Mt. Talang and Sinabung in Sumatra, Indonesia showed the rapid accumulation of SOC through lichens and vascular plants. Volcanic ash plays an important role in the global carbon cycle and ensures soil security in volcanic regions of the world in terms of boosting its capability. However, there is also a human dimension, which does not go well with volcanic ash. Volcanic ash can severely destroy agricultural areas and farmers’ livelihoods. Connectivity and codification needs to ensure farming in the area to take into account of risk and build appropriate adaptation and resilient strategy.


2003 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 719-735 ◽  
Author(s):  
William C. Prentiss ◽  
Michael Lenert ◽  
Thomas A. Foor ◽  
Nathan B. Goodale ◽  
Trinity Schlegel

This paper provides an analysis of radiocarbon dates acquired during earlier and recent field seasons at the Keatley Creek site, southern British Columbia. Results indicate that early occupations predating 1900 cal. B.P. occurred, but were not likely associated with population aggregation and large housepits. The aggregated village appears to have emerged by approximately 1700 cal. B.P. and was abandoned at approximately 800 cal. B.P. A break in the occupational sequence is recognized at 1450-1350 cal. B.P. and one other short break may have occurred shortly after 1250 cal. B.P. Peak socioeconomic complexity appears to have been achieved between 1350 and 800 cal B.P. Climatic warming may have provided a selective environment favoring population aggregation and intensification during this time. The final abandonment of the Keatley Creek village appears to have been part of a regional phenomenon suggesting the possibility that climatic factors were important in this case as well.


2014 ◽  
Vol 610 ◽  
pp. 734-740
Author(s):  
Kurban Ubul ◽  
Gulzira Tursun ◽  
Alim Aysa

There are a variety of different scripts in the world. Almost every country have there own languages and scripts which can distinguish from each other in different aspects. It is very essential to identify different scripts in multi-lingual, multi-script document. In recent years, different kinds of approaches have been developed for script identification and gotten promising results. In this paper, an overview of the script identification is proposed under different categories: script systems, extracted features and classification methods. Earlier researches and future property of this field is discussed. It is very obvious that, the research in this area is not so satisfied and still more research is to be done.


2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (11) ◽  
pp. 1153-1164 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.H. Luckman ◽  
M.H. Masiokas ◽  
K. Nicolussi

As glaciers in the Canadian Rockies recede, glacier forefields continue to yield subfossil wood from sites overridden by these glaciers during the Holocene. Robson Glacier in British Columbia formerly extended below tree line, and recession over the last century has progressively revealed a number of buried forest sites that are providing one of the more complete records of glacier history in the Canadian Rockies during the latter half of the Holocene. The glacier was advancing ca. 5.5 km upvalley of the Little Ice Age terminus ca. 5.26 cal ka BP, at sites ca. 2 km upvalley ca. 4.02 cal ka BP and ca. 3.55 cal ka BP, and 0.5–1 km upvalley between 1140 and 1350 A.D. There is also limited evidence based on detrital wood of an additional period of glacier advance ca. 3.24 cal ka BP. This record is more similar to glacier histories further west in British Columbia than elsewhere in the Rockies and provides the first evidence for a post-Hypsithermal glacier advance at ca. 5.26 cal ka BP in the Rockies. The utilization of the wiggle-matching approach using multiple 14C dates from sample locations determined by dendrochronological analyses enabled the recognition of 14C outliers and an increase in the precision and accuracy of the dating of glacier advances.


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