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AMS 14 C age constraints on geoglyphs in the lower colorado river region, arizona and california
Author(s) -
Werlhof Jay Von,
Casey Harry,
Dorn Ronald I.,
Jones Glenn A.
Publication year - 1995
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.3340100403
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , weathering , limiting , archaeology , chronology , geology , desert (philosophy) , physical geography , geography , hydrology (agriculture) , geomorphology , mechanical engineering , geotechnical engineering , engineering , philosophy , epistemology
Giant ground figures are widespread in the lower Colorado River area of southwestern North America, yet their chronology has remained unconstrained by numerical ages. Thirteen AMS 14 C measurements reported here indicate that geoglyphs were made from before ˜A. D. 1200 to before ˜900 B. C. We account for potential contamination from prior organics in weathering rinds. All other potential errors point to 14 C dates being minimum‐limiting ages for the manufacturing of geoglyphs. Although these ages indicate considerable chronological complexity among geoglyphs, our data are consistent with the linguistic hypothesis that the Yuman people in the desert of southeastern California migrated from Baja California—rather than from the north. These results must, however, be placed under the cloud of uncertainty that hangs over the entire field of AMS dating of rock art: the untested assumption surrounding contemporeneity of organics in a surface context. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.