The Spatial Distribution of Pleistocene Archaeological Sites and Paleoenvironmental Records across North America

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Research into the timing and process of human migration to North America at the end of the Pleistocene relies heavily on accurate paleoenvironmental reconstruction to understand habitable locations at the time. However, Pleistocene-aged archaeological sites in North America are rare, and specific paleoenvironmental information for these sites is often inferred from equally rare, non-local pollen records. Moreover, many of the trusted pollen records lack adequate temporal resolution. This poster examines the spatial relationship between Pleistocene archaeological and pollen sites across North America and evaluates the quality of pollen records in terms of their temporal continuity and resolution. Additionally, we address the challenges associated with obtaining Pleistocene-aged pollen records in different regions. Through this analysis, we identify geographic areas where future pollen research should be prioritized and explore the potential advantages of using non-pollen-based paleoenvironmental proxies.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 40325.0