(LA134764), SOCORRO COUNTY, NEW MEXICO

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS at the WATER CANYON PALEOINDIAN SITE (LA134764), SOCORRO COUNTY, NEW MEXICO INTERIM REPORT for the 2012 and 2013 FIELD SEASONS Robert D. Dello-Russo, Ph.D. With Contributions and/or Appendices by Dr. Ronald Goble, Dr. Stephen A. Hall, Dr. Vance T. Holliday, Pamela J. McBride, Dr. M. Steven Shackley, Susan J. Smith and Patricia A. Walker

A Collaborative Effort by the UNM Office of Contract Archeology, the New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies, the Escondida Research Group, LLC and the University of Arizona Departments of Anthropology and Geosciences OCA Report No. 185-1174 2015

Archaeological Excavations at the Water Canyon Paleoindian Site (LA 134764), Socorro County, New Mexico Interim Report for the 2012 and 2013 Field Seasons

Robert D. Dello-Russo, Ph.D. with contributions and/or appendices by

Dr. Ronald Goble, Dr. Stephen A. Hall, Dr. Vance T. Holliday, Pamela J. McBride, Dr. M. Steven Shackley, Susan J. Smith and Patricia A. Walker

A Collaborative Effort by the UNM Office of Contract Archeology, the New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies, the Escondida Research Group, LLC, and the University of Arizona Departments of Anthropology and Geosciences

Submitted to the New Mexico Historic Preservation Division Department of Cultural Affairs Santa Fe, NM Submitted under State of New Mexico Archaeological Permit No. NM 12-027 & NM 13-027 (held by the Office of Archaeological Studies in 2012–2013, R. Dello-Russo as Principal Investigator)

Office of Contract Archeology Report No. 185-1174 NMCRIS Activity No. 132823 March 2015

 

       NMCRIS  INVESTIGATION  ABSTRACT  FORM  (NIAF)   1.  NMCRIS  Activity   No.:     132823  

2a.  Lead  (Sponsoring)   Agency:      

2b.  Other  Permitting   Agency(ies):    

 NM   Institute   of   Mining     &   Technology    

NM  Historic  Preservation   Division  

3.  Lead  Agency  Report  No.:    

4.  Title  of  Report:  ARCHAEOLOGICAL  EXCAVATIONS  at  the  WATER  CANYON   PALEOINDIAN  SITE  (LA134764),  SOCORRO  COUNTY,  NEW  MEXICO:  INTERIM  REPORT   for  the  2012  and  2013  FIELD  SEASONS  

5.  Type  of  Report                          

 Negative            X  Positive  

Author(s)  Robert  D.  Dello-­‐Russo,  PhD   6.InvestigationType    Research  Design                Overview/Lit  Rev.              

 Survey/Inventory              Monitoring                                  

   Test  Excavation              

   Excavation              

Ethnographic  study      

7.  Description  of  Undertaking  (what  does  the  project  entail?):       There   is   no   formal   undertaking   –   The   archaeological   testing   and  data  recovery  at  this  site  has  been,  and  continues  to  be,   for  research  purposes  only.  

Collections/Non-­‐Field  Study  

   Site  specific  visit              

Other  

8.   Dates   of   Investigation:     from:   Sept   5-­‐16,   2012   and   April-­‐May  and  July  2013  (fieldwork);  Analyses  on-­‐going     9.  Report  Date:  March,  2015    

  10.   Performing   Agency/Consultant:   Office   of   Archaeological   Studies,  Museum  of  NM   Principal  Investigator:  Dr.  Robert  Dello-­‐Russo   Field   Supervisors:   Patricia   Walker,   Dr.   Russell   Greaves,   Dr.   Vance   Holliday,   Susie   Smith,   Dr.   Steve   Hall,   Dr.   C.   Vance  Haynes  

11.  Performing  Agency/Consultant  Report  No.:     OCA  Report  No.  185-­‐1174   12.  Applicable  Cultural  Resource  Permit  No(s):     NM  State  Permit  12-­‐027-­‐T  and  13-­‐027-­‐T  

Field   Personnel::   Nancy   Akins,   Leslie   Aragon,   Dr.   Jesse   Ballenger,   Matt   Barbour,   Stacey   Bennett,   George   Cline,   George   Crawford,   Dr.   James   Dello-­‐Russo,   Eric   Heffter,   Tom   Ireland,   Jennifer   Kielhofer,   Dr.   David   Kilby,   Sheila   Martin,   Dr.   Tim   Maxwell,   Chris   Merriman,   Jill   Onken,   Ethan   Ortega,   Beth   Parisi,   Steve   Post,   Judi   Powell,   Andy   Richard,  John  Schelburg,  and  Lise  Spargo.   14.  Client/Customer  Project  No.:  N/A  

13.  Client/Customer  (project  proponent):  N/A                  Contact:  

 

               Address:  

 

               Phone:  (

)  

   

15.  Land  Ownership  Status  (Must  be  indicated  on  project  map):                          Land  Owner                                                                                                                                                                        Acres  Surveyed          Acres  in  APE  

NM  Institute  of  Mining  &  Technology  (NMIMT)   TOTALS  

 

 

17  

 

17  

16      Records  Search(es):   Date(s)  of  A  MS  File  Review:  n/a  

Name  of  Reviewer(s)    

Date(s)  of  NR/SR  File  Review:  n/a   Date(s)  of  Other  Agency  File  Review  

 

Name  of  Reviewer(s)      

Name  of  Reviewer(s)  

   

Agency  

 

                                                                                                                                                             

     

iii

   

17.  Survey  Data:   a.  Source  Graphics              

 NAD  27        X      NAD  83  

                                                                               X      USGS  7.5’  (1:24,000)  topo  map                                                                                                          X        GPS  Unit                Accuracy    

 Other  topo  map,  Scale:  

100m  

                             USGS  7.5'  Topographic  Map  Name                                USGS  Quad  Code   Water  Canyon,  NM,  1985  

34107-­‐A1-­‐TF-­‐024  

  c.  County(ies):  Socorro                         d.  Nearest  City  or  Town:  Socorro,  NM   e.    Legal  Description:      

   ¼                  ¼              ¼    

Township  (N/S)  

Range  (E/W)  

Section  

3  South  

2  West  

3    

 SE,  NE.  

3  South  

2  West  

 

 NE,  SE.  

Projected  legal  description?  Yes  [    ]  ,  No  X                          Unplatted    [    ]     f.  Other  Description  (e.g.  well  pad  footages,  mile  markers,  plats,  land  grant  name,  etc.):  

 

18.  Survey  Field  Methods:  N/A      

Crew  Size:     Time  in  Field:  

               

19.   Environmental   Setting   (NRCS   soil   designation;   vegetative   community;   elevation;   etc.):   The   Water   Canyon   site   is   located  in  a  juniper  savannah  setting  at  approximately  5780  ft  elevation.      

20. a.   Percent   Ground   Visibility:   ca.   45-­‐85%     b.   Condition   of   Survey   Area   (grazed,   bladed,   undisturbed,   etc.):     heavily   grazed;  no  explosive  testing  in  or  in  near  vicinity  of  site                

21.  CULTURAL  RESOURCE  FINDINGS      X  Yes,  See  Page  3                            

No,  Discuss  Why:  

 

22.  Required  Attachments  (check  all  appropriate  boxes):  

 

X    USGS  7.5  Topographic  Map  with  sites,  isolates,  and  survey  area  clearly  drawn  

23.  Other  Attachments:  

 Copy  of  NMCRIS  Mapserver  Map  Check  

 Photographs  and  Log  

 LA  Site  Forms  -­‐  new  sites  (with  sketch  map  &  topographic  map)    X    LA  Site  Forms  (update)  -­‐  previously  recorded  sites  (first  2  pages  minimum)  

 X  Other  Attachments   (Describe):  Archaeological  

Interim  Report  for  2012  &  2013   Field  Seasons  

 Historic  Cultural  Property  Inventory  Forms    List  and  Description  of  isolates,  if  applicable    X  List  and  Description  of  Collections,  if  applicable  (see  2012-­‐  2013  interim  report)    

24.  I  certify  the  information  provided  above  is  correct  and  accurate  and  meets  all  applicable  agency  standards.   Principal  Investigator/Responsible  Archaeologist:  Robert  Dello-­‐Russo,  PhD  

Signature  ___

Title  (if  not  PI):  

 ___________________                        Date  _  March  15,  2015___      

   

iv  Archaeological Excavations at LA 134764, Interim Report for Field Seasons 2012 and 2013

   

25.  Reviewing  Agency:  

26.  SHPO    

 

Reviewer’s  Name/Date            

Reviewer’s  Name/Date:                  

                                                               

                                                         

Accepted      (                )                    Rejected      (                )  

HPD  Log  #:    

 

SHPO  File  Location:      

Tribal  Consultation:    

 Yes        

Date  sent  to  ARMS:      

     No  

 

CULTURAL  RESOURCE  FINDINGS   [fill  in  appropriate  section(s)]     1.   NMCRIS   Activity   No.:    132823  

  2.  Lead  (Sponsoring)  Agency:      

  3.  Lead  Agency  Report  No.:  

       NM  Institute  of  Mining  &  Technology   (Energetic  Materials  Research  &  Testing  Center)  

     N/A  

SURVEY  RESULTS:   Sites  discovered  and  registered:  

 

Sites  discovered  and  NOT  registered:  

   

Previously  recorded  sites  revisited  (site  update  form  required):   Previously  recorded  sites  not  relocated  (site  update  form  required):   TOTAL  SITES  VISITED:   Total  isolates  recorded:  

 

                         Non-­‐selective  isolate  recording?  

Total  structures  recorded  (new  and  previously  recorded,  including  acequias):  

   

 

MANAGEMENT   SUMMARY:   This   site   should   be   nominated   for   both   the   State   of   NM   and   the  National  Register  of  Historic  Places.   IF  REPORT  IS  NEGATIVE  YOU  ARE  DONE  AT  THIS  POINT.  

SURVEY  LA  NUMBER  LOG   Sites  Discovered:                                        LA  No.                                          Field/Agency  No.    Eligible?  (Y/N,  applicable  criteria)    

 

 

Previously  recorded  revisited  sites:                                          LA  No.                                        Field/Agency  No.  Eligible?  (Y/N,  applicable  criteria)   134764  

 

Proposed  as  Eligible  by  Criterion  “d”  

                                           

TESTING  &  EXCAVATION  LA  NUMBER  LOG  (site  form  required)    Tested  LA  number(s)                                                    Excavated  LA  number(s)    

134764  

 

 

 

NIAF       v

abstract

This report provides descriptions of the interdisciplinary research efforts completed during the 2012 and 2013 field seasons at the Water Canyon Paleoindian site (LA 134764), including discussions of the manual and mechanical excavation methods in the field and tabulations of the samples recovered. Some analytical results are also included. The classes of samples recovered during the 2012–2013 field seasons include chronometrics (charcoal, bulk soil, OSL); bulk sediment for macrobotanical, pollen, mollusk and phytolith analyses; flaked stone artifacts; faunal remains; and other ancillary materials. These are followed by a reference section and a series of 17 appendices. The Water Canyon site now comprises a minimum of two Late Paleoindian components at two temporally distinct bison kill/butchering locales and a potential Clovis component. The former, in Locus 1, primarily on the south bank of No Name Arroyo, and in Locus 5 along a deeply buried possible ancient drainage meander, are represented by butchered bison bone beds with associated flaked stone artifacts. An additional Late Paleoindian component—perhaps associated with Locus 5 materials—is thought to exist at Locus 4. A Clovis component may exist in Locus 3, based on the recovery of a Clovis point base from the surface and the results of OSL dating in Backhoe Trench 4. The robust late Pleistocene—early Holocene paleoenvironmental archive in the “Black Mat,” from which we have recovered additional macrobotanical, pollen and phytolith samples, is allowing us to more thoroughly reconstruct the paleoecology of the site and its environs. While many chronometric samples have been processed and their dates reported in this volume, additional environmental and analytical data will be presented in future reports after all laboratory analyses have been completed. The results of our most recent field seasons have further underscored the site’s potential to serve as a long-term laboratory for interdisciplinary scientific research. A conceptual schedule for this longer-term research is available in a five-year research plan submitted to the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC) at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (Dello-Russo 2014). The plan, when approved by EMRTC, will also be submitted to the New Mexico Cultural Properties Review Committee (CPRC), if requested.

       vii

acknowledgments

Research efforts at the Water Canyon site during 2012 and 2013, and during the 2014–2015 analytical phase, have been generously underwritten, with financial and/or in-kind donations, by the following institutions, organizations and individuals: • The University of New Mexico Office of Contract Archeology (OCA) and the OCA Archaeological Research Fund • Museum of New Mexico/Office of Archaeological Studies (OAS) • The Argonaut Archaeological Research Fund, University of Arizona • The University of Arizona (U of A) Departments of Anthropology & Geology • Escondida Research Group, LLC • Primary Water Canyon Research Donors: Gary Grief and Dorothy Wells, Roland and Martha Mace, Art Hurley, Steve Matthews, and Dennis Zeunert • Museum of New Mexico—Friends of Archaeology (various individuals) • Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC) Principal Investigator for research was, and continues to be, Dr. Robert Dello-Russo, and the senior crew at the site consisted of Patricia Walker, Dr. Russell Greaves, Dr. Vance Holliday, Susie Smith, Dr. Steve Hall, and Dr. C. Vance Haynes, while additional project contributions of time, information, advice, expertise and/or conversation were made by Nancy Akins, Leslie Aragon, Dr. Jesse Ballenger, Matt Barbour, Stacey Bennett, George Cline, George Crawford, Dr. James Dello-Russo, Eric Heffter, Tom Ireland, Jennifer Kielhofer, Dr. David Kilby, Sheila Martin, Dr. Tim Maxwell, Chris Merriman, Jill Onken, Ethan Ortega, Beth Parisi, Steve Post, Judi Powell, Andy Richard, John Schelberg, Lise Spargo, Jessy Taylor and Robert Vega. Staff at the OCA who have assisted with the subsequent processing of samples and oversight of project donations include Robin Cordero, Donna Lasusky and Hannah Van Vlack, while those at OAS include Lynette Etsitty and Judi Powell. Report editing and proofreading were completed by Patrice Walker from Escondida Research Group, LLC, and InDesign formatting and layout were completed by Lynne Arany. The field work described in this report was accomplished while I was Deputy Director at the Office of Archaeological Studies (Department of Cultural Affairs), in Santa Fe, NM. While I subsequently (as of December 2013) moved on to the position of Director at the Office of Contract Archeology (division of the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology) at the University of New Mexico, I thank all of the above organizations and individuals for their kind assistance, without which our current understanding of the Water Canyon site would not be possible. —Robert Dello-Russo

viii  Archaeological Excavations at LA 134764, Interim Report for Field Seasons 2012 and 2013

Contents

abstract......................................................................................................................................................................vii acknowledgments.....................................................................................................................................................viii

one | Research Background............................................................................................................................... 1 two | Data Recovery Efforts and Results for 2012 and 2013 Seasons................................................... 7 three | Laboratory Analyses—Brief Reporting and Interpretation of Results................................ 33 four | Conclusions............................................................................................................................................. 61 five | Suggestions for Future Research at the Water Canyon Site....................................................... 63 References Cited.................................................................................................................................................... 65 Appendixes Appendix A. Locus 1—Radiocarbon Samples—Field Specimen (FS) Log: Fall 2012 Field Season..........................................69 Appendix B. Locus 1—Flaked Stone Artifacts—Field Specimen (FS) Log: Fall 2012 Field Season..........................................72 Appendix C. Locus 1—Bone Samples—Field Specimen (FS) Log: Fall 2012 Field Season......................................................75 Appendix D. Locus 1—Bulk Sediment, Pollen, Phytolith & OSL Samples—FS Log: Fall 2012 Field Season ...........................80 Appendix E. Locus 1 – Mineral and Fire-Cracked Rock (FCR) Samples—FS Log: Fall 2012 Field Season................................84 Appendix F. Locus 5—Radiocarbon Samples—Field Specimen (FS) Log: Spring 2013 Field Season......................................85 Appendix G. Locus 5 – Flaked Stone Artifacts—Field Specimen (FS) Log: Spring 2013 Field Season.....................................88 Appendix H. Locus 5—Bone Samples—Field Specimen (FS) Log: Spring 2013 Field Season.................................................90 Appendix I. Locus 5—Bulk Sediment and OSL Samples—Field Specimen (FS) Log: Spring 2013 Field Season......................96 Appendix J. Mechanical Soil Core Descriptions for 2012.....................................................................................................100 Appendix K. Data for 2013 Water Canyon Macrobotanical Analysis...................................................................................102 Appendix L. Water Canyon 2012 Charcoal Sample Species Analysis...................................................................................104 Appendix M. Pollen Analysis Data for Samples Collected in 2012.......................................................................................105 Appendix N. Radiocarbon Dating Results and Reports for Samples Collected in 2012–2013..............................................111 Appendix O. Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dating Report for Samples Collected in 2012–2013...............................122 Appendix P. Report for X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of Obsidian Samples Recovered in 2013...........................................129 Appendix Q. Protein Residue Analysis of a Single Projectile Point......................................................................................131

Figures List 1.1. Location of Water Canyon Site..........................................................................................................................................2 1.2. Topographic Plan View of Water Canyon Site....................................................................................................................3 2.1. View of 2012 Excavations in Locus 1.................................................................................................................................8 2.2. 2012 Locus 1 Field Crew....................................................................................................................................................8 2.3. Bison Bone in Giddings Core 12-06.................................................................................................................................10 2.4. Plan Map of 2012 Excavation Units in Locus 1 Along No-Name Arroyo..........................................................................12 2.5a. 2013 First Locus 5 Crew.................................................................................................................................................20 2.5b. 2013 Second Locus 5 Crew............................................................................................................................................20 2.5c. 2013 Third Locus 5 Crew................................................................................................................................................21 2.6a. View of 2013 Excavations in Locus 5, looking southwest..............................................................................................21 2.6b. View of 2013 Excavations in Locus 5, looking southeast...............................................................................................22 2.7. Plan Map of 2013 Excavation Units in Locus 5................................................................................................................23

       ix

2.8. View of In Situ Resharpened Eden Point (FS 5081) in Study Unit 5-1..............................................................................26 2.9. Close-up of In Situ Resharpened Eden Point (FS 5081) in Study Unit 5-1........................................................................26 2.10. Illustration of Cobble Line in Unit 5-7............................................................................................................................30 3.1. Water Canyon Site, View Northwest Across No-Name Arroyo........................................................................................36 3.2a. View of Locus 1, No-Name Arroyo, View Upstream......................................................................................................38 3.2b. View of Locus 1, No-Name Arroyo, View Downstream.................................................................................................38 3.3. Contour Map Detail with Pollen Sample Locations.........................................................................................................39 3.4. Pollen and 14C Sample Locations in Unit 1-9 Viewed from Unit 1-6.................................................................................39 3.5. Pollen Sample Locations and 14C Dates in Unit 1-12......................................................................................................40 3.6. Pollen/14C Sample Locations in Big Wash Cut Bank.........................................................................................................41 3.7. Plan View of Hand-Excavated Units in Locus 1 Along No-Name Arroyo..........................................................................42 3.8. Summary of Pollen Analysis Results from 2012 Field Samples and Unit 1-12.................................................................46 3.9. OSL Dates from Backhoe Trench 4...................................................................................................................................54 3.10. OSL Dates from Backhoe Trench 5.................................................................................................................................55 3.11. OSL Dates from Backhoe Trench 6.................................................................................................................................56 3.12. Paleochannel in Locus 5................................................................................................................................................56 3.13[a,b]. Eden Points from Locus 4 and Locus 5. .................................................................................................................58 3.15[a,b]. Articulating Late Paleoindian Artifacts from Locus 1.............................................................................................59 3.14. Scottsbluff Point from Blackwater Draw Site.................................................................................................................59

Tables List 2.1. Grid Coordinates for 2012 Mechanical Soil Cores...........................................................................................................10 2.2. Hand-Excavated Study Units in Locus 1, Fall 2012 Field Season......................................................................................13 2.3. Giddings Cores and Hand-Excavated Study Units in Locus 5, Spring 2013 Field Season.................................................24 2.4. Hand-Excavated Study Units in Locus 5, Spring 2013 Field Season.................................................................................25 3.1. Grid Elevations for Charcoal Recovered In Situ, 2012–2013...........................................................................................34 3.2. Identification of Charcoal Wood Species for Samples Collected in 2012........................................................................35 3.3. Modern Vegetation at LA 134764 from June 2010 and September 2012 Surveys..........................................................37 3.4. 2012 Field Season Analyzed Pollen Samples...................................................................................................................43 3.5. Indicator Pollen Type Summary Values. .........................................................................................................................44 3.6. Snail Fauna from Loci 1 and 3, Water Canyon Site, Socorro Co., New Mexico................................................................48 3.7. Snail Fauna from Locus 5, Water Canyon Site, Socorro Co., New Mexico.......................................................................50 3.8. Provenience Data and Dates for Radiocarbon Samples, 2012 and 2013.........................................................................52 3.9. Provenience Data and Dates for OSL Samples Collected in 2012 and 2013....................................................................53 3.10. Base Metrics for Cody Complex (Eden) Projectile Points in Loci 4 and 5.......................................................................58 3.11. XRF Source Data for Obsidian Artifacts from Water Canyon.........................................................................................60

x  Archaeological Excavations at LA 134764, Interim Report for Field Seasons 2012 and 2013

one

Research Background

Archaeological research at the Water Canyon Paleoindian site began with the initial documentation of the site in 2001 by Escondida Research Group, LLC (Dello-Russo 2002). Subsequent, and more sustained, investigations began in the spring of 2008, continued during both the spring and the fall of 2009 (Dello-Russo 2010), followed by field sessions in spring 2010 (Dello-Russo 2012), fall 2012 and spring 2013. The current document presents short reviews of the earlier field sessions and a more in-depth review of the activities completed and samples recovered during the 2012 and 2013 field sessions. The Water Canyon site (LA134764) is located on lands managed by the Energetic Materials Testing and Research Center (EMRTC), a division of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (NMIMT), Socorro, New Mexico (Figure 1.1). More specifically, the site is located in Township 3 South, Range 2 West, Section 3, NMPM. The site is found along the east edge of the Water Canyon basin, among a series of dissected ridges formed by short tributaries of Water Canyon. The main branch of Water Canyon heads in the Magdalena Mountains to the west. As the waters issuing along the Water Canyon drainage move eastward, they encounter the flanks of the Socorro Mountains and turn abruptly to the north, meeting Nogal (Walnut) Canyon which then drains eastward through the Socorro Mountains to the Rio Grande. The Water Canyon site is one of a series of middle and early Holocene age archaeological sites eroding out of sediments along the first big bend in the Water Canyon drainage as it truncates the distal end of a large alluvial fan (bajada). The Water Canyon site covers an area of approximately 7.2 hectares (17.8 acres), and is located along and around several intermittent drainages that generally trend from the west– northwest to the east–southeast (Figure 1.2). The site is found at an elevation of approximately

1760 m (5780 ft) in a juniper savannah vegetation community. As originally documented and interpreted (Dello-Russo 2002), the site consisted of a small, open, flaked stone artifact scatter representing the remains of both a Late Paleoindian (Scottsbluff/ Cody Complex) occupation (8000–6000 BC) and a possible Middle Archaic (San Jose) occupation (3000–1800 BC). The flaked stone artifact assemblage documented on the surface of the site was small and diverse, numbering around 35 artifacts (other artifacts were presumed to have been in subsurface contexts) and included flakes, some retouched and utilized flake tools (e.g., scraper/knife, possible scraper), biface thinning flakes, sharpening flakes, at least two bifaces, a white chert projectile point preform, a shale or schist knife, a red silicified rhyolite San Jose style projectile point base and a yellow jasper (or silicified rhyolite) late Paleoindian projectile point base (identified originally as a Scottsbluff type). Lithic raw materials in the artifact assemblage were dominated by red silicified rhyolites but also included white cherts and basalt. The preform may have been associated with the Late Paleoindian component, as it was lanceolate in outline, with a shallow concave base. The width of the preform base was slightly larger than that of the Scottsbluff point base. The two projectile point bases and the point preform are currently curated at the Museum of New Mexico. No ground stone or ceramic artifacts were noted and no surface cultural features were identified. Documented to the north and west of the original site boundary was a large lens of organically enriched sediment exposed in an arroyo wall, which we now refer to as the “black mat.” Based on the geomorphic attributes of the site setting, it was thought possible that portions of the site were partially buried and somewhat intact. The site was recommended as eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

     1

Figure 1.1. Location of Water Canyon Site.

The Buried Wet Meadow Deposit (or “Black Mat”) The buried wet meadow deposit was first tentatively identified at the base of the arroyo just to the north of the original Water Canyon site boundary. It was described by Dello-Russo (2002:12, 50) as dark sediments of probable high organic content, with a depth of burial that suggested a possible early Holocene age. The suggested age of the deposit was based on an extrapolation of geomorphological work reported by Machette (1988) in a portion of the Water Canyon basin adjacent to the Magdalena Mountains (along the Magdalena Fault). Due to the discovery, in 2008, of additional artifacts

in the deposit and on an adjacent slope (see discussion below), it became clear that the buried deposit should be considered part of the Water Canyon site. At the start of the 2009 field season, small outcrops of the deposit and iron-stained sediments were noted both downstream and slightly upstream of the original exposure, indicating that the highly organic sediment lens was, in fact, part of an extensive buried wet meadow deposit (David Love, NM Bureau of Mines, personal communication). At present, the buried wet meadow deposit has come to be referred to as the “black mat,” partially as a short-hand referent, and largely in deference to the significant background research on the subject completed by C. Vance Haynes (2008).

2  Archaeological Excavations at LA 134764, Interim Report for Field Seasons 2012 and 2013

Figure 1.2. Topographic Plan View of Water Canyon Site.

one | Research Background   3

2008 Field Season In the early summer of 2008, a small crew of archaeologists returned to the Water Canyon site to re-examine the buried wet meadow deposit. During the course of our investigation, we discovered a bone protruding from a portion of the black mat exposed along the south-facing arroyo profile. The bone diameter appeared to have been about 5 cm, but the species of the bone could not be determined at the time. Ultimately, we collected three bulk sediment samples and one apparent charcoal sample from the same exposed portion of the black mat. The samples were subsequently dated by the accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) laboratory at the University of Arizona. While the dates suggested that the wet meadow had been in place during the late Pleistocene–early Holocene interval (see discussion in Dello-Russo 2010), it was unclear at the time whether the bone in the black mat was related to the other artifacts.

2009 Field Seasons During both the spring and fall of 2009, researchers returned to the Water Canyon site to pursue additional investigations. Their work was guided by a testing plan (Dello-Russo et al. 2009) and a testing plan amendment (Dello-Russo 2009) that had been submitted to the NM Historic Preservation Division. The results were documented in the first interim testing report (Dello-Russo 2010) and in a peerreviewed journal (Dello-Russo et al. 2010). During the spring 2009 season, the surface artifacts in Loci 1–4 were analyzed in the field. These artifacts and topographic points were mapped with a total station and a plan view contour map of the site was created (refer to Figure 1.2).

Summary of 2008—2009 Field Seasons The 2008–2009 testing efforts generated a number of provocative findings, including: 1. The site (as defined by the mapped extent of the surface artifacts) now encompassed approximately 72,000 sq m or 7.2 hectares (17.8 acres).

2. Four artifact concentrations were identified at the site, including Loci 1, 2, 3 and 4. Locus 4 represents the site as it was originally recorded. 3. Additional diagnostic artifacts have been recovered from the surface of the site, including the base of a Clovis point in Locus 3 and the mid-section of a late Paleoindian point (or possible knife?) in Locus 1. 4. The black mat was revealed to be a landscapescale feature that extends well beyond the current boundaries of the site. Radiocarbon dates on organics, primarily from bulk sediment samples, indicate Clovis, Folsom and late Paleoindian ages for the black mat, but also indicate that at least a small portion of it (near the so-called “Windmill Pit”) dates to the earlyto-middle Archaic period. 5. The bones recovered from the wet meadow deposit were thought to have come from a juvenile Bison antiquus and to date stratigraphically to the late Paleoindian period. The bones were recovered from both sides of the arroyo (now known as “No Name Arroyo”) in Locus 1. Both preservation of the bones and access to the bone-bearing black mat were superior on the south side of the arroyo. It was unclear, at the time, whether multiple individuals were represented by the recovered bone assemblage. 6. The bones in the wet meadow deposit were found to be spatially associated with lithic artifacts, thus reaffirming that the wet meadow is part of the site, and that the bones were most likely culturally derived. 7. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis of the three obsidian artifacts associated with a Bison sp. distal femur fragment indicated that the obsidian raw materials are derived from the Mt. Taylor source near Grants, NM (two sharpening flakes) and the Mule Creek source near Reserve, NM (one biface thinning flake). XRF sourcing of the material from which the Clovis point base is made indicated that it may be a dacite or a rhyodacite of unknown origin. There are some rhyodacite exposures around nearby Strawberry Peak (north of the site) that should be investigated. Previous XRF sourcing of the

4  Archaeological Excavations at LA 134764, Interim Report for Field Seasons 2012 and 2013

Scottsbluff base suggested a possible match with the Socorro Mountain Group of silicified rhyolite materials. 8. Pollen from the late Paleoindian portion of the black mat represented species of a sagebrush steppe environment (consistent with other regional pollen and woodrat midden studies) along with a possible riparian gallery of birch and maple trees. The present-day occurrence of bog birch at mountain elevations above 8000 ft (in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico) suggests that rainfall at the Water Canyon site during the terminal Pleistocene may have been as much as 28 inches (71 cm) per year (3X present-day rainfall at the site). 9. A suite of 16 radiocarbon dates on charcoal and organic bulk sediment samples revealed that the black mat was extant, seemingly continuously, from the late Pleistocene into the middle Holocene geological epochs and spanned the Clovis period (11,030 radiocarbon years ago) through the Folsom, late Paleoindian and early Archaic periods (6385 radiocarbon years ago). It was unknown, at that time, if portions of the deposit were older than Clovis.

2010 Field Season During the 2010 field season, excavations were expanded in Locus 1 and new excavations were opened in Locus 3 to investigate the potential for an intact Clovis camp in that area. Additional backhoe trenches were completed and profiled in Loci 1, 2 and 3. The methods and results of the week-long season are described in a second interim report (Dello-Russo 2012). Mechanical Excavations During 2010 Field Season At the start of 2010 field work, we utilized a backhoe with a 36 inch wide bucket (provided, along with its operator, by EMRTC) to remove a 5-by-7-by-0.70 m block of culturally sterile overburden in Locus 1, along the south edge of “No Name Arroyo” (arroyo with exposure of black mat). This allowed hand excavations to begin 10-to-20 cm above the black mat. Utilizing the same backhoe

and operator, we excavated three (3) new backhoe trenches—BHT 4, 5 and 6, in Loci 3, 2 and 1, respectively. The trench lengths were 30 m, 48 m and 20 m, respectively. Each trench was an average of 1.0 to 1.5 m deep. Stratigraphic profile illustrations and sediment/soil descriptions were completed for each trench. Four profiles were documented in BHT 4, while two profiles were documented in both BHT 5 and BHT 6. Backhoe trenches BHT1, 2 and 3 were dug, sampled and profiled in November 2009 and were documented in the first interim report (Dello-Russo 2010). Some of the sediment particle size and chemistry analyses from those trenches were reported in Dello-Russo (2012). Mechanical Sediment Coring During the 2010 Field Season Utilizing a mechanical soil corer (Giddings rig), we dug 29 additional sediment cores in Locus 1, southeast of Locus 1, and in Locus 3. These augmented the 20 sediment cores excavated in the spring of 2009. Sediment descriptions for all 49 sediment cores were created in the field. Three sediment cores in Locus 1 (10-1, 10-2 and 10-3) had bone in them at elevations ca. 3.70 m below the surface. As mentioned previously, two bulk sediment radiocarbon assays, split from the matrix surrounding the bone in FS 63a (Core 10-1), returned radiocarbon dates of 9640 ± 40 (11,180–10,790 cal yr BP; Beta no. 317339) and 9887 ± 59 (11,198–11,412 cal yr BP; AA-95610). These dates are not statistically the same but they are stratigraphically consistent (i.e., the upper elevation half of the split is younger and the lower elevation half of the split is older). Their mean 14C date is 9717.78 ± 33.1 (11,096–11,225 cal yr BP), which, nevertheless, supports an argument for a second, earlier (post Folsom-era) Paleoindian occupation at the site.

Summary of the 2010 Field Season In 2010 we made important strides in the following domains: 1. We continued to augment our understanding of the chronology at the site, both in terms of the age range of the black mat and in terms of the Paleoindian occupation(s) in evidence one | Research Background        5

at the site. However, the issue of whether the late Paleoindian occupation inferred for Locus 4 should be assigned to the Cody Complex was unclear at the time. The base of the lanceolate, shallow concave-based point recovered from the surface of Locus 4 was originally called a Scottsbluff point base. This artifact represents the “stem” of the point, but is longer (proximal-to-distal) than it is wide (side-to-side). This contrasts with the morphology of many other Scottsbluff point stems, which are typically wider than long. 2. The pooled mean date for the relatively dense distribution of charcoal fragments in Locus 1 (initially inferred to be a possible hearth and designated as Feature 1) is approximately 8300 14C yr BP, which is too recent to be a Cody Complex manifestation. Since this so-called “hearth” may, in fact, represent charcoal from upslope forest fires and not from a cultural occupation, we dated a section of the bison femur (FS 1037). The collagen in this sample dated to a 14C age of 8200 ± 40 BP. Thus, these findings suggest the presence of a different late Paleoindian occupation (Angostura?) at Locus 1 of Water Canyon. 3. The discovery, from mechanical coring during the 2010 field season, of faunal material buried deeply in the area now defined as Locus 5 (at ca. 3.7 m below the surface) led us to believe that a second, deeply buried, Paleoindian occupation existed at the Water Canyon site. The mean 14C date from Core 10-01 of 9717.78 ± 33.1 (11,096–11,225 cal yr BP) for two sediment samples surrounding the bone, coupled with the fact that faunal material was recovered in three closely spaced cores, supported the idea that a second kill and processing event exists at the site—this one during the post-Folsom period. Since research on the northern Plains suggests that the Cody Complex dates from

10,000 to 8600 14C yr BP (Knell and Hill 2012), it is entirely possible that the deposit in Locus 5 is from an early Cody Complex occupation. 4. As for the landform evolution and hydrology at the site, we believe that, since the late Pleistocene, the site has undergone an alternating series of geomorphological periods of erosion (where older terrain was incised and paleochannels were created) and periods of deposition (where sediments filled those same channels). These events were likely controlled by changing hydrological regimes (rainfall, snowfall on the Magdalena Mountains and snowmelt run-off). These hydrological regimes also controlled the rising and falling water table at the site and, ultimately, the development of the wet meadow deposit (black mat). 5. As for the paleobiotic-paleoclimatic setting at the site, we see the early Holocene at the Water Canyon site as much cooler and wetter than present, and characterized by a patchwork quilt vegetation community made up of many now-extinct or extirpated species. The wet-to-moist setting, in which the wet meadow was a dominant element, experienced a gradual trend of drying and warming (from 11,000 years ago until about 8500 years ago), and the present-day Chihuahuan desert community became established between 8500 and 5500 years ago. This climatic trend was reflected in the changing lake levels of regional paleo-lakes and, perhaps, in the shifting dominance of moisture regimes from the Pacific to the more southerly monsoonal flows. By the end of the late Paleoindian period, the region had witnessed the arrival of cheno-am species, perhaps dominated by four-wing saltbush, and the ultimate desiccation of the wet meadow environment. It’s possible that the water table may have risen briefly again at some point around the early-to-middle Archaic.

6  Archaeological Excavations at LA 134764, Interim Report for Field Seasons 2012 and 2013

two

Data Recovery Efforts and Results for 2012 and 2013 Seasons

Our primary research goal is to investigate the potential of the Water Canyon site to reveal, with fine-grained temporal resolution, changes in the paleo-hydrologic regime, paleoecological communities and, perhaps, human adaptations (as seen in the archaeological record), across the late Pleistocene-early Holocene transition. In addition, we hope to further clarify the nature of the various Paleoindian occupations at the site. The data recovery plan for the fall 2012 and the spring 2013 field seasons at the Water Canyon site was provided to the NMHPD within the interim report for the 2010 field season (Dello-Russo 2012). Our three research objectives included: 1) Continued geomorphological, stratigraphic, and chronometric assessments; 2) Recovery and analyses of proxy paleoenvironmental data and faunal remains from the black mat to serve as foundations of an enlarged paleobiotic-paleoclimatic reconstruction for the Water Canyon basin, in general, and provision of a paleoenvironmental context for the Water Canyon archaeological site, in particular; and 3) Continuation of archaeological excavations in the prehistoric bison bone beds and in the surface artifact loci to further assess the site’s potential to contain intact and buried cultural deposits, and to help verify this site’s position within a temporal framework.

2012 Fall Field Season— Crew and Methods In 2012, the focus of our efforts in Locus 1 (Figure 2.1) was to further examine the potential for early Holocene charcoal (thermal features or upslope forest fires?) and for other lithic tools and diagnostics in possible association with bison bones. Adult Bison antiquus bones, in a relatively high density, were discovered in the more eastern units of the excavation block. Although some of the bones

were removed intact, even when they exhibited green bone fractures, others were quite fragile and required plaster jacketing. We continued to systematically recover pollen samples at the site from mechanical cores and/or from hand-excavated exposures of early Holocene–late Pleistocene sediments at and below the level of the active channel in No Name Arroyo (Locus 1). Crew Roster and Visitors to the Site The Principal Investigator for the Water Canyon Research Project in 2012 was Dr. Robert DelloRusso (OAS). The field director at Locus 1 was Dr. Russell (Rusty) Greaves (Harvard University) and the crew included Dr. Jesse Ballenger (Desert Archaeology, AZ), Chris Merriman (University of New Mexico), Beth Parisi (MNM Friends of Archaeology), and Dr. Tim Maxwell, Matt Barbour, Steven Post, Tom Ireland, Sheila Martin, and Judi Powell (OAS). Dr. Vance Holliday (University of Arizona) conducted soil coring and soil profiles with the assistance of Andy Richard, Jill Onken, Eric Heffter, Jennifer Kielhofer, and Leslie Aragon (U of A students). Susie Smith (independent consulting palynologist) collected pollen samples. The backhoe operator was George Cline (EMRTC). Visitors to the site included Gary Grief, Dr. C. Vance Haynes, Art Hurley, and Martha and Roland Mace. The 2012 crew is pictured in Figure 2.2. Continued Hand Excavations in Locus 1 The discovery of a relatively high frequency of charcoal fragments in Locus 1 during the 2010 field season was initially interpreted as an ephemeral thermal feature (Feature 1 hearth) and later as evidence for early Holocene forest fires in settings upstream of the Water Canyon site (the latter interpretation is supported by paleo-environmental data at bog sites in the Jemez Mountains [Brunner-

     7

Figure 2.1. View of 2012 Excavations in Locus 1.

Figure 2.2. 2012 Locus 1 Field Crew. Left to right: R. Greaves, M. Barbour, T. Maxwell, R. Dello-Russo, J. Ballenger, S. Post, B. Parisi. Missing: T. Ireland, J. Powell, S. Martin, V. Holliday, A. Richard, J. Onken, E. Heffter, J. Kielhofer, L. Aragon, S. Smith, G. Cline.

8  Archaeological Excavations at LA 134764, Interim Report for Field Seasons 2012 and 2013

Jass 1999]). The hearth interpretation would suggest that the archaeological materials in Locus 1 represented evidence for intact site structure. Thus, the focus of the 2102 effort in Locus 1 was to further examine the potential for additional early Holocene thermal features and for other lithic tools and diagnostics in possible association with bison bones. The faunal analysis of previously recovered materials also suggested the possibility of finding other non-bison mammal remains, as some recovered faunal materials could not be unambiguously attributed to Bison spp (N. Akins, personal communication). Field Sample (FS) logs for collections from the 2012 season are provided in Appendices A through E. OSL Dating of Holocene and Pleistocene Sediment Units We completed a systematic optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating effort in three separate backhoe trenches (BHT) to continue to clarify the tempo of sediment deposition across the site. The stratigraphic profiles in BHT 6 (Locus 1), BHT 5 (Locus 2) and BHT 4 (Locus 3) each provided intact soil units suitable for chronometric dating, and the locations of OSL samples taken from these trenches are illustrated later in this report. BHT 6 exhibited a number of stratigraphic unconformities that may help explain why two utility ware ceramic sherds were found in a flotation sample taken from only slightly above the early Holocene cultural deposits in Locus 1. BHT 5 revealed that the landform on which Locus 2 cultural materials were located was not simply a Pleistocene-aged, cobble-armored ridge, but contained a deep channel filled with fine-grained sediments. Finally, BHT 4 suggested that late Pleistocene age sediments might be preserved in the abandoned floodplain landform of Locus 3. As such, it seemed prudent to undertake a systematic OSL dating effort to clarify these matters and to continue to clarify the tempo of sediment deposition across Loci 1, 2 and 3. Dates for these OSL samples are provided later in this report and the data and report for the OSL dating are provided in Appendix O. Continued Pollen Sampling and Analysis While our current pollen-based environ-

mental reconstruction for the site covers the period from about 11,000 years BP to about 5500 years BP (earliest to middle Holocene), a number of samples exhibited low levels of preservation. As a consequence, a new sampling effort sought to recover additional early Holocene pollen and phytolith samples as well as pollen samples from stratigraphically deeper contexts and thus provide environmental data for the late Pleistocene epoch (including the Younger Dryas geochronological period). Toward the goal of a more robust reconstruction of past floral communities and a more refined model of climatic change over the PleistoceneHolocene transition, we systematically recovered micro-botanical samples at the site, either from mechanical cores and/or from hand-excavated exposures. Sample locations were slated to focus on early Holocene sediments surrounding the cultural materials in Locus 1 to late Pleistocene sediments below the level of the active channel in No Name Arroyo. Results of the pollen analysis are discussed later in this report and data from the analysis are provided in Appendix M. Additional Mechanical Coring Eight (8) new mechanical soil cores were completed in 2012. From these, we continued to collect bulk sediment samples for chronometric dating and to test for the presence of paleo-environmental proxy materials [pollen, phytoliths, diatoms, ostracods, mollusks, fossil insects, macrobotanical specimens and faunal elements, including tooth enamel (for stable isotopes)]. During the course of the coring effort for Cores 12-06 and 12-08, we again encountered mammal bone fragments at about 3.8 m below the surface in the area to the northeast of Locus 1 (Figure 2.3) (see Table 2.1). This area is now designated as Locus 5. Sediment data for the 8 mechanical cores completed in 2012 are provided in Appendix J, together with a profile description for the west wall of Unit 1-6 in Locus 1. Recovery of Samples from Big Wash During the late afternoon of 9/10/2012, an intense thunderstorm hit the project area, forcing the crew to abandon the site. As a consequence of the storm, a flash flood ran through both “No Name Arroyo” and the “Big Wash” that course through the

two | Data Recovery Efforts and Results: 2012 and 2013 Seasons        9

  Table  2.1  Grid  Coordinates  for  2012  Mechanical  Soil  Cores.  

  2.1. Grid Coordinates for 2012 Mechanical Soil Cores. Table   Soil  Core   No.  

North  (m)  

East  (m)  

Start  Elevation   (m)  

End  Elevation   (m)  

Total  Depth   Below  Surface  (m)  

12-­‐01  

549.224  

435.714  

53.741  

53.501  

0.24  

12-­‐02  

553.691  

436.862  

53.868  

53.868  

0.00  

12-­‐03  

556.830  

438.776  

53.897  

53.897  

0.00  

12-­‐04  

539.618  

433.381  

53.419  

53.419  

0.00  

12-­‐05  

527.259  

512.154  

49.331  

47.031  

2.30  

12-­‐06  1  

521.337  

525.095  

48.999  

45.069  

3.93  

12-­‐07  

522.837  

529.643  

48.775  

46.375  

2.40  

 1

523.532  

528.157  

48.768  

44.968  

3.80  

12-­‐08   1  

Core  with  bone  fragments  identified  at  ca.  3.7  or  3.8  m  below  the  surface.  

Figure 2.3. Bison Bone in Giddings Core 12-06.

10  Archaeological Excavations at LA 134764, Interim Report for Field Seasons 2012 and 2013

site. The flash flood in the “Big Wash” eroded a cutbank on its southwest side, revealing a fresh exposure of the “black mat” deposit. Dr. Dello-Russo and Tom Ireland recovered three pollen samples and three companion 14C bulk sediment samples (FS 1278, FS 1279 and FS 1280) from that exposure. The elevations of the FS 1278 and FS 1279—at 44.994 and 45.197 respectively—roughly coincided with the elevations of the bones recovered in the Locus 5 soil cores (see discussion below). The bulk sediment samples were submitted to the NSF AMS laboratory at the University of Arizona for dating and the dates associated with these samples are reported later in this volume. Backfilling Excavated Areas During 2012 Field Season All hand-excavated test units in Locus 1 along with the three backhoe trenches (4, 5 and 6) were backfilled on the final day of field work (09/16/12). At the completion of the study unit excavations, all of the units were lined with black plastic and backfilled by hand. Once the five study units were backfilled, the entire excavation grid block was covered with a large sheet of black plastic and mechanically buried to the level of the adjacent ground surface. A “sea wall” was bermed along the northern edge of the excavation grid block along the southern edge of No Name Arroyo, to help funnel sheetwash and arroyo flow away from the excavation area.

Descriptions of Hand-Excavated Units in Locus 1—2012 Fall Field Season Patricia A. Walker The 2012 fall field season at Locus 1 along the southern edge of No Name Arroyo included the expansion of excavations in the previously established grid block as well as the re-opening of three previously excavated backhoe trenches, BHT 4, 5 and 6 (see Figures 2.4 and 1.2). The previously screened overburden deposits across the grid block were mechanically removed to the level of the previous excavations. The area excavated in 2010 was lined with black plastic and the 2012 mechanical excavations terminated upon reaching the black plastic. Following the mechanical block excavation of over-

burden sediments from Locus 1, hand excavations commenced. Previously excavated Study Unit (SU) 1-6 was expanded in depth and four additional units were newly opened (SU 1-10, 1-14, 1-15, 1-17). The focus of the 2012 effort was to further investigate the nature of the relatively dense charcoal distribution within Locus 1 (such as found previously in SU 1-11) and to search for diagnostic artifacts or tools in possible association with bison bones known to be present in the locus deposits. Five 1-by-1 m test units were hand-excavated to grid depths ranging from 48.23 to 47.10 m (Table 2.2). The test units were excavated in arbitrary 10 cm levels, with each of these levels separated into two 5 cm levels designated A and B (e.g., Level 1A = 48.00–47.95, Level 1B = 47.95–47.90, etc.). To establish uniform elevations for each of the excavated levels within Locus 1, starting elevations for each unit were established across the grid, and the high point within each unit was then used to determine the elevation measurements for each level. Thus, Level 1 elevations were designated between 48.800 and 48.700 m, Level 2 at 48.700–48.600 m, Level 3 at 48.600–48.500 m, etc. Grid elevations within Locus 1 were referenced to the central site datum at 500 m grid north and 500 m grid east with an arbitrary control elevation at 50 m. Bulk soil samples were retrieved from each complete level in the excavated study units once the level was completely below the backfilled overburden. All excavated sediments were screened through 1/8-inch hardware cloth. All three-dimensional provenience data (north coordinates, east coordinates, and elevations) were controlled by the use of a Nikon total station. The proximal and distal ends of identifiable bones were mapped with the total station and mini-prism to determine provenience, orientation and inclination. In-situ bone, charcoal, and flaked stone artifacts, along with bulk sediment samples (for flotation and radiocarbon studies) were recovered from the Locus 1 excavations during the 2012 field season (Appendices A through E). Bone, snail, and flaked stone artifacts were also recovered from the 1/8-inch dry screening of Locus 1 excavated sediments. Unit 1-6 (509E/509N) This 1-by-1 m unit, located at the south wall of No Name Arroyo, was initially excavated during the

two | Data Recovery Efforts and Results: 2012 and 2013 Seasons        11

Figure 2.4. Plan Map of 2012 Excavation Units in Locus 1 Along No-Name Arroyo.

12  Archaeological Excavations at LA 134764, Interim Report for Field Seasons 2012 and 2013

  Table  2.2.  Hand-­‐Excavated  Study  Units  in  Locus  1,  Fall  2012  Field  Season.  

  Table 2.2. Hand-Excavated Study Units in Locus 1, Fall 2012 Field Season.   1-­‐by-­‐1m  Study   Unit  No.  

Beginning  Grid   Elevation  (m)  

Ending  Grid   Elevation  (m)  

Levels   Excavated  

SU  1-­‐6  

SW  Corner  Grid   Coordinates   (Easting  /  Northing)   509E  /  509N  

48.04  

47.10  

9–17  

SU  1-­‐10  

510E  /  508N  

48.60  

47.90  

3A–9B  

SU  1-­‐14  

510E  /  507N  

48.60  

48.23  

3A–6A  

SU  1-­‐15  

511E  /  507N  

48.53  

47.90  

3B–9B  

SU  1-­‐17  

508E  /  506N  

48.89  

48.10  

0A–7B  

  2010 field season. Unit excavation in 2010 began with Level 3 (48.60–48.50 m) and terminated at 48.00 m within Level 8 (48.10–48.00 m). Following the 2010 field season, the unit was mechanically backfilled. For the 2012 field season, these backfilled overburden deposits were mechanically removed to just above the level of the previously exposed black mat at the base of Level 8. The objective of further excavations in the unit was to facilitate exposure of a fresh profile wall from which a pollen sample column and companion 14C samples could be extracted. Thus, the 2012 excavation in this unit began with Level 9 (48.00–47.90 m) at 48.04 m grid elevation and terminated at 47.10 m at the base of Level 17 (47.20–47.10 m). Each of the levels in this unit was excavated as a 10 cm level without the 5 cm A and B level subdivisions. The unit excavations began with Level 9, in consolidated, compact soils at the contact between the active channel sediments of No Name Arroyo and the black mat, which was exposed in the southern margins of the unit. A cobble line was present along the edge of the black mat, with cobbles ranging in size from 1.5 to 6.0 cm. By Level 12 (47.70–47.60 m), the black mat encompassed the entire unit with very hard, compact and consolidated sediments. At the base of this level, fine, compact grey gleyed clay sediments were in evidence. Levels 13 through 15 were within this gleyed clay stratum which became more grey-brown with depth. At Level 16 (47.30–47.20 m), gravels and elongated charcoal smears were encountered within the gleyed clays. Several in situ charcoal flecks and/or smears were collected (FS 1230, 1231, 1232, 1240) between 47.293–47.217 m. Samples FS 1231 and FS 1232 were sent to Beta

Analytic, Inc. for radiocarbon dating to corroborate a Clovis-era date that was gleaned from a sample taken from the base of “No Name Arroyo,” at approximately the same elevation, in 2008. Nodules of ferrous oxide (redoximorphic features) were scattered throughout the level along with rock fragments ranging from 5–20 cm in size. Both Levels 16 and 17 were in sandier sediments with numerous gravels. Since Level 9 (48.00–47.90 m) was the last level that held cultural/biological materials, Level 17 (47.20–47.10 m) was excavated with a pick in order to more quickly reach a greater depth for evaluating the unit deposits. Seven pollen samples were collected from the vertical south wall of the unit (FS 1256–1262). Paired with these pollen samples was a column of six samples collected for 14C analyses (FS 1269–1274). All of these samples were sent to the University of Arizona NSF AMS laboratory for dating. Elevations for these paired samples ranged from 48.030–47.280 m. Additional field samples collected from the unit included bulk sediment for flotation and/or black mat analysis from Levels 9–17 (FS 1190, 1195, 1197, 1202, 1203, 1211, 1217, 1219, 1229, 1249, respectively), a red ochre (hematite) sample from Level 9 (FS 1177), bone fragments recovered in the 1/8” dry screen from Level 9 (FS 1183) and bone recovered in situ from Level 9 (FS 1173). The unit was terminated at 47.10 m at the base of Level 17. Unit 1-10 (510E/508N) This 1-by-1 m unit, located one m south of the south edge of No Name Arroyo, was newly opened during the 2012 excavation season. The unit is im-

two | Data Recovery Efforts and Results: 2012 and 2013 Seasons        13

mediately south of Unit 1-5, east of Unit 1-9, and west of Unit 1-11, all three of which were excavated during the 2010 field season (see Figure 2.4). Excavations in Unit 1-10 began with Level 3A (48.60–48.55 m) and terminated with Level 9B at 47.90 m. The sediments within Level 3 (48.60– 48.50 m) were consolidated and compact sands with sparse gravels (3–5 cm in size). A rodent burrow was noted in the upper few cm of Level 4A (48.50–48.45 m) in both the SE corner and the NW quadrant, filled with loose reddish sands and fine gravels which contrasted with the gray-tinged soils with sparse gravels throughout the rest of the unit. From Level 4B (48.45–48.40 m), an 8 cm long fire-cracked rock clast (FS 1105), a flaked lithic possibly of Pedernal chert (FS 1099) and a possible red ochre sample (FS 1095) were all collected in situ. Several cobbles (5–10 cm) were noted in the SW corner of the unit. Within Levels 5A and 5B, which extended from 48.40–48.30 m, in situ collections included a lithic tool (possible scraper, FS 1121), several charcoal flecks (FS 1122, 1127, 1130) and several fire-cracked rock clasts (FS 1110, 1113, 1114). The FCR clasts were located amongst gravels which may have been part of the same gravel lens which was evident in the north wall of previously excavated Unit 1-12 at approximately the same depth (48.38 m; 2–4 cm gravel sizes). In Levels 6A and 6B (48.30–48.20 m), numerous flecks of charcoal were found in the south-central portion of the unit, with seven collected samples (FS 1137, 1145–1147, 1156, 1162, 1163), along with three more samples of possible red ochre (FS 1143, 1154, 1160), and an in situ obsidian flake (FS 1159). Sediments in Level 6 were dark brown and compacted with small micro-lenses of sand (less than 2 mm in thickness) present, along with pockets of CaCO3 and several clusters of small CaCO3 coated gravels (3–5 cm in size). In levels 7 and 8 (48.20–48.00 m), sediments were similarly consolidated and compacted, with 5% fine gravels and occasional 3–8 cm gravels coated with CaCO3, along with thin layers of sediment mixed with CaCO3. A single lithic was found in situ (FS 1226) near the base of Level 8, and a fleck of charcoal was collected from the lower few cm of Level 7 (FS 1187, 48.136 m). Gravel content increased in Level 8A (48.10–48.05 m) and what was thought to be the black mat was revealed in the western portion of the unit. In Level 9 (48.00–47.90 m), the final excavated level, soils

graded into a dark brown-black color, possibly indicating the black mat stratum. Gravels and small rock fragments (ca. 5% of volume) were present throughout the level. Additional collections from the unit included bulk sediment samples from Levels 3B, 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 7A, 7B, 8A, 8B, and 9B (FS 1088h, 1090, 1100, 1108, 1119, 1136, 1139, 1171, 1188, 1199, 1215, 1251, respectively), lithics from dry screen recovery from Levels 3A, 3B, 4A, 5B, 6B, 7A, 7B, 8A, and 9A (FS 1088b, 1089, 1093, 1126 and 1129, 1151, 1180, 1191, 1201, 1237 and 1243, respectively), bone fragments from dry screen recovery from Level 6B (FS 1155), tooth enamel from dry screen recovery from Levels 7B and 8A (FS 1194 and 1198, respectively), and one piece of fire-cracked rock from dry screen recovery from Level 8A (FS 1206). The unit excavations terminated at the base of Level 9 (47.90 m). Since charcoal was collected in 2010 from a suspected thermal feature in adjacent Unit 1-11 (to E), attention was given to the potential in Unit 1-10 for similar occurrences (Unit 1-11 charcoal collected between elevations 48.36–48.15 m [Levels 5–7]). For Unit 1-10, charcoal flecks were collected from Levels 5B and 6A (FS 1122, 48.326 m; FS 1127 48.301 m; FS 1130, 48.297 m; in Level 5B; and FS 1137, 48.249 m, in Level 6A;). Charcoal collections increased in Level 6B with six samples (FS 1145 48.220 m; FS 1146, 48.209 m; FS 1147, 48.208 m; FS 1156, 48.197 m; FS 1162, 48.195 m; FS 1163, 48.198 m). The final sample was from Level 7B (FS 1187, 48.136 m). With the exception of the lowest sample from Level 7B, these charcoal samples collected from Unit 1-10 were all within the bracketed elevation for anticipated charcoal, with the densest quantities occurring in mid-Level 6 to upper-Level 7, between 48.25–48.19 m, consistent with the charcoal from adjacent Unit 1-11. Possible fire-cracked rock (FCR) was also collected in Unit 1-10 from Level 4B (FS1105, 48.378 m), Level 5A (FS 1110, 48.367 m; FS 1113, 48.345 m; FS 1114, 48.340 m) and from the dry screen in Level 8A (FS 1206, 48.10–48.05 m). These observed and collected charcoal samples, along with the presence of the FCR, suggest a potential for an expanded area for the thermal feature, or it may be representative of environmentally derived charcoal (possibly from forest fires in the upper reaches of the Water Canyon basin to the west of the site).

14  Archaeological Excavations at LA 134764, Interim Report for Field Seasons 2012 and 2013

Unit 1-14 (510E/507N) This 1-by-1 m unit, located three m south of the south wall of No Name Arroyo, was newly excavated with the 2012 field season. Due to the mechanical scraping of overburden, the excavation in this unit began in Level 3, with a grid elevation of 48.60 m, and terminated at 48.23 m within Level 6 (48.30–48.20 m). Level 3A (48.60–48.55 m) began in the brownish-tan soils of the Bk horizon, just above the sediments of the gray mat. The Bk horizon continued partly into Level 3B (48.55–48.50 m) and possibly into Level 4A (48.50–48.45 m) where soils became darker and likely comprised the upper portion of the gray mat. A few gravels were present, most of which were smaller than 0.5 cm with some in the 1–4 cm range. No cultural materials were present in the upper margins of Level 3, and a single flaked lithic (FS 1223) was recovered in the dry screen from Level 3B. The SW quadrant of Level 4A contained intact gray mat soils, while the NW quadrant may represent the base of the Bk overlying the gray mat. Reddish soil was apparent in the NE quadrant, but appeared distinctly unstructured. Extensive parallel runs of bioturbation were present in the eastern ½ of Level 4A and either represented krotovinas or bucket tooth marks from the backhoe. Level 4B (48.45–48.40 m) had evidence of a krotovina in the NE corner, but the disturbance only extended 2-3 cm into the level. Although two other krotovinas were present in the west and south walls at the floor margins, the majority of the level was within the gray mat soil. Some reddish-brown soil was present in the level and either represented the lower portion of the Bk Horizon or was the result of possible disturbance. Two flaked lithics (FS 1228), one of which was obsidian, were recovered in the dry screen and a charcoal fleck was found in situ (FS 1233, 48.453 m) in Level 4A, and bone fragments (FS 1242) were recovered from the screen from Level 4B. Level 5A (48.40–48.35 m) was entirely within the gray mat and the only indication of disturbance was a krotovina in the south wall, which extended WNW toward the krotovina in the W wall of the upper excavation levels. Level 5B (48.35–48.30 m) had minor disturbance in the south wall from a krotovina, although it was smaller than in the previous level. A few gravels were present, 2–5 cm in size, with several less than 1 cm in size. Two unidenti-

fied flat bones (FS 1246 and 1250) were found in situ in Level 5A, and one small bone was encountered in the eastern margin of the unit, near the base of Level 5B and extending into the next level (Level 6). Dry screen recovery from Level 5 included bone and a single obsidian flake (FS 1245) from the upper portion of the level and bone fragments (FS 1276) from the lower 5 cm of the level. One in situ charcoal fragment (FS 1267, 48.298 m) was collected from Level 5B, but was technically part of the next level (Level 6A). The final level excavated within this unit, Level 6A (48.30–48.23 m), exhibited an increase in clasts in the SW quadrant, especially right along the west wall. A krotovina extended through the central portion of the unit from south to east. Darker soils were apparent in areas within the NE quadrant and north ½ of the unit. Two unidentified flat bones were found in situ and collected (FS 1281 and 1294) from Level 6. Bulk sediment samples were recovered from Levels 4A, 4B, 5A, 5B, and 6A (FS 1227, 1235, 1242, 1265, and 1277, respectively). The unit was terminated near the base of Level 6 at 48.23 m. Due to the charcoal collected in 2010 from a suspected thermal feature in adjacent Unit 1-11 (to NE), attention was given to the potential in Unit 1-14 for similar occurrences (Unit 1-11 charcoal collected between elevations 48.36–48.15 m [Levels 5–7]). Two charcoal flecks (FS 1233, 48.453 m, Level 4; and FS 1267, 48.298 m, Level 6) were collected from Unit 1-14, one of which was above the bracketed elevation for anticipated charcoal, and one within. However, within the elevations where the most abundant charcoal was found in Unit 1-11 (mid-Level 6 to upper-Level 7, between 48.25–48.19 m), the soils in Unit 1-14 contained no observed charcoal, although darker soils were noted in the NE quadrant and in the N portion of the unit in Level 6, and might possibly be inferred as sediments enriched from the adjacent feature deposits. This unit was also terminated before it reached the base level at which charcoal was recovered in adjacent Unit 1-11. Unit 1-15 (511E/507N) This 1-by-1 m unit, located three m south of the south wall of No Name Arroyo, was newly excavated with the 2012 field season. This unit is immediately south of previously excavated Unit

two | Data Recovery Efforts and Results: 2012 and 2013 Seasons        15

1-11, which exhibited a concentration of charcoal thought to represent a thermal feature. Due to the mechanical scraping of overburden, the excavation in Unit 1-15 began within Level 3B, with a grid elevation of 48.53 m, and terminated at 48.00 m at the base of Level 8B. Levels 3B and 4A were levels with an uneven surface, resulting in partial excavation across the unit, while Level 4B was a complete level within which the gray mat was exposed at 48.45 m. Soils in the partial levels above the gray mat were reddish brown silty loams with 10% small gravels and several rock clasts, and soils within the gray mat were dark brown organic-rich silty loams with some rock (3–4 cm in size) and very few gravels. Disturbance from a rodent burrow and krotovinas was noted in northeast corner of the unit beginning in Level 4B (48.45–48.40 m) and continuing down through Level 7B (48.15–48.10 m) where it extended through much of the north half of the unit. Red-hued sediments were found within these disturbances and, for Levels 6 and 7, the rodent burrow sediments were screened separately. One small charcoal fleck was found in Level 5B (FS 1120, 48.311 m) but it was suspected that it may have been associated with disturbed sediments. In Level 6A (48.30–48.25 m), charcoal was fairly common, with only the largest fleck being collected (FS 1142, 48.25 m). Charcoal flecks were also fairly abundant in Level 6B (48.25–48.20 m) and five samples were collected (FS 1144, 1149, 1150, 1152, 1170). Charcoal content continued to be fairly abundant through the upper 3 cm of Level 7A (48.20–48.15 m), with four additional samples collected (FS 1174, 1175, 1176, 1186). By Level 7B (48.15–48.10 m), charcoal flecking was very sparse but increased again in low quantities in Level 8A (48.10–48.05 m), with nine collected samples from Level 8A (FS 1212, 1213, 1214, 1221, 1224, 1225, 1236, 1244, 1248). Three nodules of possible red ochre (hematite) were also collected from Levels 7A (FS 1181) and 8A (FS 1222 and 1234). Gravel content ( 500 cu m). Thus, in 2013, we focused our efforts in Locus 5 (Figure 2.6a) primarily to expose the deeply buried bison bone bed suggested by mechanical coring in previous field seasons. A stepped excavation area, measuring 12-by-12-m, and an access “driveway” in the northeast corner of the excavation, were

laid out with a total station and largely completed with a mechanical track hoe. Additional refinement and clean-up were completed with a mechanical backhoe and hand-excavations. The stepped configuration followed OSHA guidelines, stopped at about 3.7 m below the surface when bone fragments were encountered, and resulted—at the base of the mechanical excavation—in a surface where a 6-by-6-m hand-excavation grid could be established (Figure 2.6b). Bison antiquus bones were immediately encountered in the southwest corner of the grid. The track hoe, back hoe and operator were supplied by EMRTC. Backfilling Excavations in Locus 5— 2013 Spring Season All hand-excavated test units were backfilled on the final day of field work (05/13/13) by R. DelloRusso, J. Dello-Russo, B. Parisi and P. Walker. At the completion of the study unit excavations, all exposed bones left in situ were carefully covered with brown, screened overburden sands, for protection and to reduce the chance of moisture build-up, and then covered with small squares of black plastic. Each of the hand-excavated units was then lined with black plastic sheets and hand-filled with screened sediment. Once the six study units were backfilled, the entire excavation grid block was covered with a large sheet of black plastic, and mechanically buried with roughly 0.6 m (2 ft) of overburden and or screened sediment. The fill was gently contoured and sloped by hand from south to north, to allow for drainage out of the excavation pit and into the trenched driveway to the northeast. In addition, the corners of the two level tiers, or stepped benches, of the pit were bermed with sediment to trap and/or slow water which might enter the excavation block along the sides of the pit.

Descriptions of Hand-Excavated Units in Locus 5, 2013 Spring Field Season Patricia A. Walker Following the mechanical block excavation of deep overburden sediments from Locus 5, a 6-by-6 m grid was laid out at the base of the tiered pit north of No-Name Arroyo. The purpose of this excavation

two | Data Recovery Efforts and Results: 2012 and 2013 Seasons        19

Figure 2.5a. 2013 First Locus 5 Crew. Left to right: G. Klein, E. Ortega, S. Bennett, C. Merriman, R. Dello-Russo.

Figure 2.5b. 2013 Second Locus 5 Crew. Left to right: V. Holliday, L. Spargo, G. Crawford, B. Parisi, R. Dello-Russo, P. Walker. Missing: D. Kilby.

20  Archaeological Excavations at LA 134764, Interim Report for Field Seasons 2012 and 2013

Figure 2.5c. 2013 Third Locus 5 Crew. Left to right: R. Dello-Russo, P. Walker, J. Dello-Russo, B. Parisi, N. Akins, J. Schelberg, C. Merriman. Missing: S. Hall.

Figure 2.6a. View of 2013 Excavations in Locus 5, looking southwest.

two | Data Recovery Efforts and Results: 2012 and 2013 Seasons        21

Figure 2.6b. View of 2013 Excavations in Locus 5, looking southeast.

block was to investigate the potential for buried bone as suggested by the bone fragments exposed in a series of previously excavated (2010 and 2012 field seasons) mechanical cores in the area of Locus 5 (Figure 2.7). The mechanical cores contained bones at depths ranging from 45.45 to 45.20 m, which were roughly 3.5 m below the 2013 ground surface prior to excavation. Mechanical excavations terminated immediately upon encountering bones in the southwest corner of the unit. The bones were encountered within the sediments of the wet meadow, or black mat, deposit. Thirty-six 1-by-1 m study units were laid out within the grid block. Of these, five 1-by-1 m test units and one partial 1-by-0.50 m test unit were hand-excavated to depths ranging from 45.82 to 45.40 m. Four of these study units contained the previously drilled core holes (Table 2.3). Excavations within three of the five study units reached the level of the anticipated bone, each revealing bone at or within 10–15cm of the level of the bone from the mechanical cores. Study Unit 5-1 and partial Study Unit 5-6 did

not contain a previously drilled core hole but were excavated because bone was exposed during the mechanical excavation of the grid block. The partial nature of Unit 5-6 was necessary due to the constraints of the tiered pit, the west wall of which formed the west edge of the partial study unit. Another 1-by-1 m study unit, Unit 5-7, was assigned solely for the purpose of exposing, mapping and photographing a channel of alluvial cobbles that extended in a north-east to south-west alignment across the mechanically excavated “surface” of the northern half of the grid block. Study Units 5-1 through 5-6 (Table 2.4) were excavated in arbitrary 10 cm levels. To establish uniform elevations for each of the excavated study units, starting surface elevations for each unit were calculated across the grid, and the high point within each unit was then used to determine the elevation measurements for each level within the individual study units. In order to have levels beginning and ending with even 10 cm increments, (e.g., 10, 20, 30, etc.), the initial exca-

22  Archaeological Excavations at LA 134764, Interim Report for Field Seasons 2012 and 2013

Figure 2.7. Plan Map of 2013 Excavation Units in Locus 5.

two | Data Recovery Efforts and Results: 2012 and 2013 Seasons        23

Table  2.3.  Giddings  Cores  and  Hand-­‐Excavated  Study  Units  in  Locus  5,  Spring  2013  Field  Season.  

  2.3. Giddings Cores and Hand-Excavated Study Units in Locus 5, Spring 2013 Field Season. Table   Grid  Elevations  of  Intact  Bone  in  Study  Unit  (m)  

1-­‐by-­‐1m  Study   Unit  No.  

Core   Hole  No.  

Grid  Elevation  of   Bone  in  Core  (m)  

SU  5-­‐1  

n/a  

n/a  

45.90–45.80  m  (Level  2):  innominate,  carpal,  femur,   possible  mandible,  incisor  &  indeterminate  bone   fragments  

SU  5-­‐2  

12-­‐06  

45.45  m  

45.50–45.40  m  (Level  6):  indeterminate  long  bone,   molar,  mandible  and  numerous  bone  fragments  

SU  5-­‐3  

10-­‐02  

45.27  m  

45.52  m  (near  bottom  of  Level  5):  molar;  level  of   bone  from  core  not  yet  encountered  (unit   terminated  at  45.50m)  

SU  5-­‐4  

10-­‐03  

45.40  m  

45.60–45.55  m  (top  of  Level  5):  2nd  phalange,   possible  calcaneous,  metatarsal,  astragalus  &   indeterminate  frags  

SU  5-­‐5  

12-­‐08  

45.20  m  

Bone  not  yet  encountered  (unit  terminated  at   45.40  m)  

SU  5-­‐6  

n/a  

n/a  

45.98–45.83  m  (Level  1):  mandible,  molars,  thoracic   and  lumbar  vertebrae,  carpal,  tarsal,  ribs  

SU  5-­‐7  

n/a  

n/a  

45.03  (Level  1):  Surface  mapping  of  alluvial  cobble   deposit  (see  Figure  2.3)  

    vation level for each unit, Level 1, was generally slightly greater than 10 cm. Grid elevations within Locus 5 were referenced to Sub-datum 13A with a control elevation at 49.005 m and grid coordinates of 520.006E/529.017N. This sub-datum is located on the surface at the northwest corner of the large excavation pit in Locus 5. In-situ bone, charcoal, and flaked stone artifacts, as well as bone, snail, and flaked stone artifacts collected from 1/8-inch dry screen, and bulk sediment samples (for flotation and radiocarbon studies) were recovered from the Locus 5 excavations. Bulk sediment samples were retrieved within each complete level, beginning with designated Level 2 in the excavated study units. All excavated sediments were screened through 1/8-inch hardware cloth. All three-dimensional provenience data (north coordinates, east coordinates, and elevations) were controlled by the use of a Nikon total station. The proximal and distal ends of identifiable bones were mapped with the total station and miniprism to determine provenience, orientation and inclination. Field Sample (FS) logs for the 2013 field season are provided in Appendices F through I.

Unit 5-1 (524E/519N) This 1-by-1 m unit, located in the southwestern corner of the excavation block and adjacent to the west and south walls of the tiered excavation pit, did not contain a previously drilled mechanical core but was excavated because numerous bone fragments were exposed during the mechanical excavation of the grid block. Due to the mechanical scraping of overburden, the excavation in this unit began with Level 1 at 46.03 m grid elevation and terminated at 45.70 m within Level 3 (45.80–45.70 m). The upper 5 cm of Level consisted of loose sediment from the mechanical excavation, and backhoe bucket “tooth marks” were evident in places down to 45.90 m (Level 2). Within the southern edge of the unit, the channel sands from an old arroyo fill were clearly delineated and extended laterally 20 cm into the unit (at the 45.70 m grid elevation), paralleling and abutting the dark, organically enriched black mat, which was exposed throughout the remainder of the unit. The channel sands were loose, tan sands with gravels, and formed an abrupt contact with the black mat. The channel tapered downward and southward, and was only marginally evident in the

24  Archaeological Excavations at LA 134764, Interim Report for Field Seasons 2012 and 2013

Table  2.4.  Hand-­‐Excavated  Study  Units  in  Locus  5,  Spring  2013  Field  Season.  

  2.4. Hand-Excavated Study Units in Locus 5, Spring 2013 Field Season. Table   1-­‐by-­‐1m  Study   Unit  No.  

SW  Corner  Grid   Coordinates   (Easting  /  Northing)  

Beginning  Grid     Elevation  (m)  

Ending  Grid   Elevation  (m)  

Levels  Excavated  

SU  5-­‐1  

524E  /  519N  

46.03  

45.70  

1–3  

SU  5-­‐2  

525E  /  521N  

46.04  

45.40  

1–6  

SU  5-­‐3  

527E  /  521N  

46.07  

45.40  

1–6  

SU  5-­‐4  

528E  /  520N  

46.07  

45.52  

1–5  

SU  5-­‐5  

528E  /  523N  

46.07  

45.40  

1–6  

SU  5-­‐6  

523E  /  519N  

45.98  

45.82  

1  (see  discussion)  

SU  5-­‐7  

527E  /  523N  

n/a  

n/a  

Mapping  of   cobbles  only  

  lower few centimeters of Level 2 (45.90-45.80 m). The sediments within the black mat were markedly compact. Sporadic gravels and pebbles are incorporated into the rich, dark sediments of the black mat (7.5 YR 2.5/1—black). In terms of recovered bones and lithics, this was the most productive of all the excavated study units. Within Level 1 (46.06–45.90 m), a bulk sediment sample was retrieved from the NE ¼ of the unit for flotation (FS 5010), and several small bone fragments and tooth enamel were recovered in the screen (FS 5004), primarily from the SW quadrant of the unit at the contact of the channel sand and black mat. In addition, a small 2 mm snail shell was noted. In Level 2 (45.90–45.80 m), bone was exposed in the upper few centimeters, primarily from the southern and western halves of the unit, and included bone and enamel from the screen (FS 5013 and 5023), along with in situ recovery of bone fragments (FS 5017), a tooth fragment (FS 5015), and a possible mandible (FS 5018). Several additional bones were exposed in situ but extended down into the next level. Small decomposing bone fragments were found throughout the unit, and gravels (3–5cm in size) were noted, mostly on the east side of the unit. A sediment sample was also collected (FS 5021). Level 3 (45.80–45.70 m) proved to be fairly dense with bone, with 13 collected samples including screen bone (FS 5029), and in situ tooth or bone elements including molars (FS 5052 and 5080), an incisor (FS 5043), indeterminate bone (FS 5067), a fragmented carpal or metatarsal (FS 5047), a sesamoid (FS 5042), an innominate (FS 5051), vertebrae (FS 5057 and

5062), rib fragments (FS 5061), a very fragmentary scapula (FS 5064), and a femur (FS 5132). Numerous bones had no structural integrity and were basically unidentifiable and thin, often decomposed during excavation and identified only by staining. Nearly all of the identifiable bone was in a poor state of preservation. Paleobond, a type of viscous adhesive, was used on several of the larger, more intact bones, to assist in their stabilization for transport and laboratory analyses. Gravels and pebbles (a number of which were larger than 5 cm in size) were noted in the west ½ of the unit, in and around the bones, and extending into the west wall of the unit. The single diagnostic artifact recovered from the excavation grid block was recovered in situ (see Figures 2.8 and 2.9) from this unit at 45.698 m (Level 3), 524.341E/519.089N, within the black mat, and consisted of a late Paleoindian Eden style projectile point manufactured from a dark gray fossiliferous oolitic chert (FS 5081). The point blade appears to have been resharpened and the tip is missing. Further discussion about this point can be found in Section 3.4. Additional collections from this unit level include bulk sediment samples for 14C (FS 5030) and flotation (FS 5028), screen gravels/lithics (FS 5068), a charcoal fleck (FS 5035), and a lithic cobble (FS 5065). Several additional bison bone fragments were exposed at the base of Level 3 and were left in situ in the W ½ of the unit. The unit was terminated at the base of Level 3 at 45.70 m, due to time constraints. Additional excavations in this unit should be considered.

two | Data Recovery Efforts and Results: 2012 and 2013 Seasons        25

Figure 2.8. View of In Situ Resharpened Eden Point (FS 5081) in Study Unit 5-1.

Figure 2.9. Close-up of In Situ Resharpened Eden Point (FS 5081) in Study Unit 5-1.

26  Archaeological Excavations at LA 134764, Interim Report for Field Seasons 2012 and 2013

Unit 5-2 (525E/521N)

Unit 5-3 (527E/521N)

Study Unit 5-2, a 1-by-1 m unit, was situated in the west-central portion of the excavation block, and 2 m northeast of Study Unit 5-1. Previously drilled mechanical core 12-06, which included bone at 45.45 m, was in this unit. Excavations began with Level 1 at 46.04 m and terminated with Level 6 at 45.40 m. With the exception of the top few centimeters of sediment which were disturbed by the mechanical excavator, sediments were highly compact throughout and were entirely within the organically enriched silty loams of the black mat. Level 1 (46.04–45.90 m) recovery consisted of screen bone and tooth enamel (FS 5011) and screen lithics (FS 5012) as well as a bulk sediment sample for flotation (FS 5006). Bone from Level 2 (45.90–45.80 m) was limited to dry screen recovery (FS 5014) and a bulk sediment flotation sample was collected (FS 5016), with similar results for Level 3 (45.80–45.70 m), with dry screen recovery (FS 5019) and a bulk flotation sample (FS 5020). Levels 4, 5 and 6 (45.70–45.40 m) were excavated in the southern 1/2 of the unit only in order to expedite excavation to determine if the bone deposit was at 45.45 m as indicated by the mechanical core. Levels 4 and 5 both revealed bone in the form of indeterminate fragments and bone crumbs from the screen (FS 5022 and 5024, respectively), and a bulk sediment sample for 14C analysis was collected (FS 5031). It was in Level 6 (45.50–45.40 m) that larger, more intact bone was encountered, including a metacarpal (FS 5084), a molar (FS 5055), a possible crushed scapula (FS 5048), and indeterminate long bone fragments (FS 5040 and 5049). Of note was a calcined bone fragment found in the dry screen recovery (FS 5033). Small (2/do, Quartz not datable

126  Archaeological Excavations at LA 134764, Interim Report for Field Seasons 2012 and 2013 0.06 Gy

Thermal Transfer Test on UNL3865: Preheat De Temp (ºC) (Gy) ± 180 0.01 0.02 200 0.00 0.01 220 0.04 0.01 240 0.04 0.02 260 0.11 0.01 280 0.14 0.04 Thermal Transfer = 0.06 ±

Preheat Plateau on UNL3865: Preheat De Temp (ºC) (Gy) ± 180 6.88 0.88 200 8.78 0.43 220 7.63 1.09 240 7.30 1.30 260 8.35 0.55 280 8.33 0.90 Preheat of 240C used for analyses!

Gy 0.18 Gy

0.24

0.12 0.05 0.09 0.11 7.09 7.15 ±

7.37

220

240 6.91 260 7.25 280 7.30 Applied Dose = Recovered Dose =

7.09

200

Dose Recovery Test on UNL3865: Preheat De Temp (ºC) (Gy) ± 180 7.00 0.22

180

180

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 160 2 300 1 0 160

240

Temperature (C)

220

200

7.88 7.88 240 Temperature (C)

220

Preheat Plateau

200

Transferred

Applied

Recovered

7.088

7.088

260

260

Dose Recovery/Thermal Transfer

8 300 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 -1 160

160

Appendix O (continued): Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dating Report for Samples Collected in 2012–2013

De (Gy)

De (Gy)

280

280

300

300

+

Appendixes       127

0.01 0.02 0.01 0.03 0.01 0.02 0.02 0.01 0.03 0.01 0.01

0.95 0.97 0.94 0.97 0.95 0.97 1.00 1.02 0.99

±

0.92 0.96

Rec/Appl

Dose Recovery

0.96 0.07 0.48 0.81 0.37 0.64 0.37 1.07 0.64 -0.04 0.77 0.45 0.44

c

-0.31 0.14 -0.31 -0.15 -0.26 -0.14 -0.38 -0.62 -0.06 -0.45 -0.01 -0.25 -0.45

Skew/2σcb Kurt/2σkb

Bailey & Arnold (2006) Galbraith (2005) d Central Age Model/Median e Central Age Model/Probability Density Function Fit f Central Age Model/Mode g Central Age Model/Unweighted Mean

b

UNL3855 UNL3856 UNL3857 UNL3858 UNL3859 UNL3860 UNL3861 UNL3862 UNL3863 UNL3864 UNL3865 UNL3866 UNL3867 UNL3868

UNL3854

UNL #

b

0.09 0.01 0.05 0.08 0.04 0.06 0.03 0.09 0.06 0.00 0.08 0.04 0.04

c/ccrit

b

-0.20 0.09 -0.20 -0.10 -0.17 -0.09 -0.24 -0.34 -0.04 -0.29 0.00 -0.16 -0.29

k/kcrit

14 24 13 10 14 12 22 27 15 24 22 15 20

1.04 0.98 1.01 1.03 1.00 1.02 0.97 1.08 1.00 0.97 1.05 1.02 1.01

1.04 0.99 1.01 1.02 1.01 1.02 1.00 1.08 1.02 0.97 1.06 1.02 1.02

1.12 1.05 0.94 0.97 0.98 1.04 1.19 1.34 0.99 0.92 1.29 1.11 1.15

0.99 0.98 1.00 1.00 0.99 1.00 0.98 0.96 1.00 0.98 0.99 0.99 0.98

Overdisp (%)c CAM/Medd CAM/PDF Fite CAM/Modef CAM/Meang

Appendix O (continued): Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dating Report for Samples Collected in 2012–2013

128  Archaeological Excavations at LA 134764, Interim Report for Field Seasons 2012 and 2013

UNL3855, pIRIR290C

UNL3855, IR50C

6.23±0.20

pIRIR Dating of Feldspar UNL # Dose Rate (Gy/ka) UNL3854, IR50C 5.65±0.18 UNL3854, pIRIR290C 2.4±0.2 142.2±3.7

30 188.0±5.3 14.8±1.2 173.2±6.5

33 144.6±3.5

26 192.5±7.4 14.0±0.6 178.5±8.0 27.8±1.6

22.8±1.2

31.6±1.8 4.70±1.36

5.31±0.60

1.86±0.42

No. of De Residual Net Uncorrected g2days Aliquots (Gy) De (Gy) De (Gy) Age (ka) (%/decade) 35 149.4±4.4 2.1±0.2 147.3±4.6 26.1±1.2 2.17±0.06

41.8±12.3 12.3322506

36.5±4.5 4.54975191

36.4±8.5 8.47684228

Corrected CALCULATE ERRORS MANUALLY Age (ka) 30.8±1.7 1.65244091

Appendix O (continued): Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dating Report for Samples Collected in 2012–2013

Appendix P | M. Steven Shackley, University of California, Berkeley (Retired) Appendix  P.  Report  for  X-­‐Ray  Fluorescence  Analysis  of  Obsidian  Samples  Recovered  in  2013   Appendix P. Report for X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of Obsidian Samples Recovered in 2013          

ARCHAEOLOGICAL X-RAY FLUORESCENCE SPECTROMETRY LABORATORY 8100 Wyoming Blvd., Ste M4-158

Albuquerque, NM 87113 USA

LETTER REPORT AN ENERGY-DISPERSIVE X-RAY FLUORESCENCE ANALYSIS OF OBSIDIAN ARTIFACTS FROM THE WATER CANYON SITE (LA 134764), SOUTH-CENTRAL NEW MEXICO 26 May 2014 Dr. Robert Dello-Russo Office of Contract Archaeology Maxwell Museum of Anthropology University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM Dear Robert, This is an updated report with the addition of four samples not analyzed in the previous report (Shackley 2013; Table 1 here). Cerro Toledo Rhyolite and the Mount Taylor sources are available in the Rio Grande Quaternary alluvium, but the rest of the sources do not erode into Rio Grande alluvial contexts or erode into stream basins a great distance from these sites (Shackley 2005, 2012). McDaniel Tank is a newly discovered source in the Magdalena Mountains, not yet published. Specific instrumental methods can be found at http://www.swxrflab.net/anlysis.htm, and Shackley (2005). Source assignment was made by comparison to source standard data in the laboratory. Analysis of the USGS RGM-1 standard indicates high machine precision for the elements of interest (Table 1 here). Sincerely,

M. Steven Shackley, Ph.D. Director VOICE: 510-393-3931 INTERNET: [email protected] http://www.swxrflab.net/

Appendixes       129

Appendix P (continued) REFERENCES CITED

M.K. Davis, T.L. Jackson, M.S. Shackley, T. Teague, and J.H. Hampel 2011 Factors Affecting the Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of Archaeological Obsidian, with a new introduction by M.S. Shackley. In X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (XRF) in Geoarchaeology, edited by M.S. Shackley, pp. 45-64. Springer, New York. Shackley, M.S. 2005 Obsidian: Geology and Archaeology in the North American Southwest. University of Arizona Press, Tucson. 2012 The Secondary Distribution of Archaeological Obsidian in Rio Grande Quaternary Sediments, Jemez Mountains to San Antonito, New Mexico: Inferences for Prehistoric Procurement and the Age of Sediments. Poster presentation at the Society for American Archaeology, Annual Meeting, Memphis, Tennessee. 2013

An Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of Obsidian Artifacts from the Water Canyon Site (LA 134764), South-Central New Mexico. Report prepared for the Office of Archaeological Studies, Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe.

  [Appendix  P]   Table  1.    Elemental  concentrations  for  the  archaeological  samples.     All  measurements  in  parts  per  million  (ppm).     Sample 1006 1017 1020 1026-3 1026-5 1041 1044 1030 1057-6 1057-7 1075 1078 1088A 1088F 1126 1159 1228 RGM1-S4 2014 samples

Ti 500 893 661 878 1066 896 452 364 515 561 899 489 716 741 459 844 686 1585

Mn 596 561 670 847 528 433 564 681 780 450 665 626 546 639 717 583 836 289

Fe 12259 11621 12452 13744 13668 12851 11680 12635 11222 11774 13756 11887 12788 12009 12513 12877 13281 13750

Rb 502 427 489 496 168 159 499 592 556 203 239 530 229 479 580 220 548 151

Sr 12 13 9 13 11 11 13 14 10 8 10 11 9 15 15 9 14 108

Y 79 68 74 73 41 36 89 94 83 59 59 89 65 74 97 65 78 23

Zr 127 103 115 104 133 136 123 142 107 171 169 135 181 112 138 169 117 215

Nb 208 164 180 164 41 40 221 237 184 99 86 236 97 184 222 89 188 7

Ba

Source Grants Ridge (Mt Taylor) 1 Mt Taylor Mt Taylor Mt Taylor Valles Rhy (Cerro del Medio) Valles Rhy (Cerro del Medio) Horace Mesa (Mt Taylor) Horace Mesa (Mt Taylor) Horace Mesa (Mt Taylor) Cerro Toledo Rhy Cerro Toledo Rhy Horace Mesa (Mt Taylor) Cerro Toledo Rhy Grants Ridge (Mt Taylor) Horace Mesa (Mt Taylor) Cerro Toledo Rhy Grants Ridge (Mt Taylor) standard

1050 1293 5001 5111 RGM1-S4

440 510 560 3633 1535

647 634 779 940 312

9262 9588 10950 19835 13039

541 515 574 202 150

5 5 4 216 106

93 93 92 38 24

138 148 143 254 223

220 227 218 30 11

761