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Earthquake‐induced burial of archaeological sites along the southern Washington coast about A.D. 1700
Author(s) -
Cole Steve C.,
Atwater Brian F.,
McCutcheon Patrick T.,
Stein Julie K.,
HemphillHaley Eileen
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
geoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1520-6548
pISSN - 0883-6353
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1520-6548(199603)11:2<165::aid-gea4>3.0.co;2-3
Subject(s) - prehistory , archaeology , geology , intertidal zone , archaeological evidence , population , subduction , oceanography , geography , seismology , tectonics , demography , sociology
Although inhabited by thousands of people when first reached by Europeans, the Pacific coast of southern Washington has little recognized evidence of prehistoric human occupation. This apparent contradiction may be explained partly by geologic evidence for coastal submergence during prehistoric earthquakes on the Cascadia subduction zone. Recently discovered archaeological sites, exposed in the banks of two tidal streams, show evidence for earthquake‐induced submergence and consequent burial by intertidal mud about A.D. 1700. We surmise that, because of prehistoric earthquakes, other archaeological sites may now lie hidden beneath the surfaces of modern tidelands. Such burial of archaeological sites raises questions about the estimation of prehistoric human population densities along coasts subject to earthquake‐induced submergence. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.