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Vertical accretion of flood deposits and deeply stratified archaeological site formation in Central Maine, USA
Author(s) -
Putnam David E.
Publication year - 1994
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/gea.3340090604
Subject(s) - geology , fluvial , accretion (finance) , excavation , deglaciation , chronology , archaeology , flood myth , floodplain , sedimentary depositional environment , holocene , quaternary , geomorphology , paleontology , hydrology (agriculture) , geography , physics , cartography , geotechnical engineering , structural basin , astrophysics
Investigation of deeply stratified archaeological sites on the Piscataquis River in central Maine has revealed a continuous sequence of human occupation from ca. 10,000 yr B.P. to the near present. As an integrated aspect of the archaeological excavations, geomorphic features and surficial deposits were mapped from aerial photographs and field checked. Stratigraphic profiles were recorded from various locations and sediment column samples were collected and analyzed for grain size distribution in 1‐cm vertical intervals from a 3‐m deep excavation at the Sharrow site (ME 90‐2D) to examine the flood deposits. Results include a general chronology of fluvial processes of the Piscataquis River since deglaciation and evidence of dominant vertical accretion of flood sediments on floodplain terraces throughout the Holocene epoch. This article defines an archaeologically significant but rarely recognized depositional regime characterized by a laterally controlled river channel and the exclusive vertical accretion of flood sediments. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.