Molecular Geoarchaeology and the Sedimentary Archives of Far West Texas: Human Demographics, Hydroclimate, and Paleoecology from the Late Pleistocene through Holocene

Author(s): Jasmine Kidwell

Year: 2025

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Future of Geoarchaeology: Student Research and Insights" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

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The region of far west Texas remains understudied in terms of its cultural, climatic, and environmental past. Current paleoclimatological and environmental proxy datasets are few and inconsistent in time, resolution, and scope. Using sedimentary archives from cave, playa, and ciénega deposits, we use molecular geoarchaeological techniques paired with radiocarbon summed probability distributions to reconstruct human demographics, hydroclimate, and paleoecology of this region while generating new proxy datasets. This work focuses on recovery of molecular fossil lipids, or biomarkers, preserved in sediments. These biomarkers help to contextualize the environment and record information that may not be preserved in pollen or other records. From the sediments, the preserved lipids were extracted and their n-alkanes quantified and characterized using GC-MS for ecological reconstruction. Ongoing work will use compound specific isotopic analysis of the δ<sup>13</sup>C and δD of targeted n-alkanes identified during GC-MS analysis. Together, these data set the stage for contextualizing human behavior and demographic variability from the Late Pleistocene through the Holocene with the goal to better understand how the earliest occupants of far west Texas responded to long-term climatological and ecological change. This poster describes the progress made, lessons learned, and direction of ongoing work.

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Cite this Record

Molecular Geoarchaeology and the Sedimentary Archives of Far West Texas: Human Demographics, Hydroclimate, and Paleoecology from the Late Pleistocene through Holocene. Jasmine Kidwell. Presented at The 90th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. 2025 ( tDAR id: 510260)

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Keywords

General
Geoarchaeology • Worldwide

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51974