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Cyclical patterns in the Pleistocene human occupation of Southwest Tasmania
Author(s) -
Holdaway Simon,
Porch Nick
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
archaeology in oceania
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1834-4453
pISSN - 0728-4896
DOI - 10.1002/j.1834-4453.1995.tb00332.x
Subject(s) - radiocarbon dating , pleistocene , swamp , archaeology , quaternary , geology , physical geography , geography , holocene , paleontology , ecology , biology
One hundred Pleistocene radiocarbon determinations from southwest Tasmanian archaeological sites are used to construct a moving sum of determinations every 500 years within periods spanning 1000 years. The resulting plot shows a cyclical pattern with an increasing amplitude through time. The cyclical pattern can be correlated with climatic indicators from Pulbeena Swamp (northwest Tasmania) and allows us to suggest that the archaeological sites were subject to relatively low levels of occupation during periods of cold and dry climate.