New Environmental Proxy Data from Little Salt Spring, FL

Summary

Little Salt Spring (LSS) is a ~70m deep sinkhole located in south-west Florida. Paleo-Indian and Archaic Indian artifacts suggest two periods of occupation: from 12,000 ‘ 9,000 and from 7,000 ‘ 5,000. In order to provide climatic context for the archaeological finds at LSS sediment cores (n = 5) were taken in 1990 using a submersible vibro-corer. Previous examination of these cores for pollen and microfossil data were used to infer drier Early Holocene climate followed by a shift to more modern, wet conditions and higher water table ~ 5000 years ago coinciding with the abandonment of this site. To gain further understanding of climate and its relation to human migration patterns in Florida, an 8.2 m sediment core dated between 13,000 and 6,000 yr BP was further analyzed for additional proxy data. Grain size and carbon/nitrogen ratios will be used to determine regional sediment inputs while microfossil analysis will give insight into changing hydrology of the sinkhole and how it may have affected early occupation.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Marine Geoarchaeology   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-1,06