Micromorphological Analysis of Thin Sections from Bear Creek (45KI839), Redmond, King County, Washington

Summary

Micromorphology samples were collected during data recovery at the Bear Creek Site (45KI839) in Redmond, Washington in order to supplement the site’s formation history. Micromorphological analysis of these samples has shed light on the taphonomic and sedimentary depositional processes at work prior to, during, and after Late Pleistocene-Holocene transition (LPH) occupation of 45KI839. This poster presents the micromorphology research design, sampling and analysis methodology, and results of analysis. The formation history of 45KI839 is marked by diastems. Several soil surfaces that represent periods of stability were identified in thin section, including a buried surface at the base of artifact-bearing Stratum V. In general, the buried surfaces show that the shifts to and from the depositional environment of human occupation were more gradual than the field observations suggested. The buried surfaces are separated by accumulations of sediment that represent periods of change. Although these sedimentary deposits are dominated by evidence for gradual accumulation, the 45KI839 stratigraphic profile also shows evidence for punctuated, event-driven deposition and erosion. In addition to site formation history information, petrographic analysis has also informed on internal site structure. The thin sections show vertical and horizontal variability within Stratum V and among Stratum V contacts throughout the site.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paleoarchaic Settlement of the South Salish Sea during the Late Pleistocene-Holocene Transition: A View from Bear Creek (45KI839)   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15047