A GIS Predictive Model of Early Archaic Site Locations on the Taos Plateau

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Recent Research in the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, Northern New Mexico" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The archaeological record within the recently designated Rio del Norte National Monument is the subject of on-going investigations. This presentation will discuss the use of Geographic information Systems (GIS) in predicting the locations of Early Archaic sites within the monument, which straddles the Rio Grande on the Taos Plateau in northern New Mexico. GIS is used to explore the relationship between site location and environmental, topographic, and physiographic variables. These data are combined with existing site location data to demonstrate where Early Archaic sites are likely to occur and to determine how the distribution of sites relates to lithic sources on the Plateau. The model addresses questions regarding the availability and distribution of lithic resources in the region, and how the distribution of these resources influences site location. The result is a raster surface that indicates high and low probability areas for Early Archaic site occurrence. The presentation will explore the utility of GIS in predicting site presence by comparing the model results with Early Archaic site locations that were recorded during the 2018 field season near the No Agua Peaks obsidian source within the western portion of the monument.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Recent Research in the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, Northern New Mexico   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24722