Modelling Postglacial Coastline Transformations during the Tuniit (Paleo-Inuit) Period in Amittuq, Nunavut (5000–500 BP)

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Ancient Seashore Sites and Environments in Geoarchaeology" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Paleotopographic modelling is a powerful tool for assessing the shifting accessibility and connectivity of coastal arctic sites, as well as changes in nearshore marine habitats that were vital components of local subsistence economies. This paper introduces a method for visualizing coastal transformations at localized scales using predictive isostatic adjustment models. The models cover 500-year intervals ranging from 5000 to 500 BP, and were produced by integrating drone-acquired elevation data, altimeter readings calibrated to local high-tide kelp lines, and updated relative sea-level (RSL) curves in a GIS environment. The utility of the models for contextualizing local diversity in Tuniit (Paleo-Inuit) organizational structures is discussed. The models also identify locations of initial marine emergence, offering future survey targets for the region’s earliest occupations.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Ancient Seashore Sites and Environments in Geoarchaeology

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 52070