Revealing the Drowned Past: New Evidence for Buried Underwater Landforms in Walker Lake, NV

Summary

Over the last 15,000 years, Walker Lake, NV has ranged in size from the southernmost branch of Pleistocene Lake Lahontan to a small alkali wetland. These conditions have provided valuable, but varied resources for local populations throughout human occupation. Sites identified during summer 2015 and 2016 illustrate the preservation of sites in environments where both submersion and drying have occurred. Investigations during summer 2017 revealed the presence of numerous landforms under the modern lake. Sub-Bottom survey showed preserved features including shorelines, buried channels, and possible rivulets. Underwater test excavations on these features demonstrated their preservation under more than 2 meters of sediment. Marker horizons and preserved organics provide valuable guides for future research such as depositional chronology, potential for preserved perishable materials, and ideal locations for extensive excavations. When combined with the new archaeological sites found north of Walker Lake, the results clearly demonstrate the value of underwater archaeological research in the Walker Lake Basin.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20643