D. Madsen - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
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Papers by D. Madsen
Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 1994
Journal of Archaeological Science, 1996
Quaternary International, 2014
ABSTRACT The identification and dating of South Temple Canyon 1 (STC 1), an Early Upper Paleolihi... more ABSTRACT The identification and dating of South Temple Canyon 1 (STC 1), an Early Upper Paleolihic (EUP) site in north-central China near Shuidonggou (SDG), helps confirm that SDG is one of the earliest EUP sites in northern Asia. Materials from STC 1 bear a strong resemblance to the early SDG core-and-blade lithic technology that includes flat-faced cores and elongate blades. We obtained a 14C age estimate of 41,070 ± 890 14C yr BP on the innermost lamina of a calcium carbonate pendant attached to one of the quartzite flakes from the site. The purity of the micrite lamina, the care taken in obtaining the carbonate sample for processing and dating, and the geomorphological setting from which the flake came suggest the age estimate represents a reasonable assessment of an accurate minimum age for STC 1. Together with recently derived age estimates of >35 14C ka for the initial EUP occupations at SDG 1 and 2, it appears that the EUP in the SDG area is as old as any of the handful of EUP sites in Mongolia and Siberia dating to about 40 14C ka, and brings into question a postulated north-to-south spread of the EUP lithic technology present at SDG. Whether or not the dispersal of this technology is associated with the spread of Anatomically Modern Humans remains unknown.
Geoarchaeology-an International Journal, 1998
The Uinta Mountains lie along an important transition between major climate regimes and thus are ... more The Uinta Mountains lie along an important transition between major climate regimes and thus are sensitive to
major climatic changes and consequent vegetation shifts. Two pollen cores from montane Uinta sites on the
Utah–Wyoming border (Marsh Lake Bog and Camp Bog, respectively) were used to analyze vegetation shifts
from the latest Pleistocene through the Holocene. The records correspond with those from adjacent portions of
the Rocky Mountains, all demonstrating a major shift from alpine steppe to open spruce parkland at ~11,700–
11,200 cal yr BP. A second major shift to lodgepole pine forest began at ~8400 cal yr BP at Marsh Lake Bog and
could have been a direct response of the dominant species to warmer conditions and/or the result of subtle
changes in the competitive hierarchy of tree species near a sensitive ecotone. The difference in the rate and full
expression of lodgepole forest development (taking nearly 2000 years longer at Camp Bog) was probably due
to a set of complex and local factors, such as cold air drainage and landscape position. Lodgepole pine forest
persisted throughout the late Holocene and appears to be the long-term regional “climax” forest, rather than a
seral habitat. Fire does not appear to have triggered the middle Holocene shift from spruce-dominated to
lodgepole pine-dominated forests in this area but may have contributed to its long-term persistence to the
present day.
Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, 1994
Journal of Archaeological Science, 1996
Quaternary International, 2014
ABSTRACT The identification and dating of South Temple Canyon 1 (STC 1), an Early Upper Paleolihi... more ABSTRACT The identification and dating of South Temple Canyon 1 (STC 1), an Early Upper Paleolihic (EUP) site in north-central China near Shuidonggou (SDG), helps confirm that SDG is one of the earliest EUP sites in northern Asia. Materials from STC 1 bear a strong resemblance to the early SDG core-and-blade lithic technology that includes flat-faced cores and elongate blades. We obtained a 14C age estimate of 41,070 ± 890 14C yr BP on the innermost lamina of a calcium carbonate pendant attached to one of the quartzite flakes from the site. The purity of the micrite lamina, the care taken in obtaining the carbonate sample for processing and dating, and the geomorphological setting from which the flake came suggest the age estimate represents a reasonable assessment of an accurate minimum age for STC 1. Together with recently derived age estimates of >35 14C ka for the initial EUP occupations at SDG 1 and 2, it appears that the EUP in the SDG area is as old as any of the handful of EUP sites in Mongolia and Siberia dating to about 40 14C ka, and brings into question a postulated north-to-south spread of the EUP lithic technology present at SDG. Whether or not the dispersal of this technology is associated with the spread of Anatomically Modern Humans remains unknown.
Geoarchaeology-an International Journal, 1998
The Uinta Mountains lie along an important transition between major climate regimes and thus are ... more The Uinta Mountains lie along an important transition between major climate regimes and thus are sensitive to
major climatic changes and consequent vegetation shifts. Two pollen cores from montane Uinta sites on the
Utah–Wyoming border (Marsh Lake Bog and Camp Bog, respectively) were used to analyze vegetation shifts
from the latest Pleistocene through the Holocene. The records correspond with those from adjacent portions of
the Rocky Mountains, all demonstrating a major shift from alpine steppe to open spruce parkland at ~11,700–
11,200 cal yr BP. A second major shift to lodgepole pine forest began at ~8400 cal yr BP at Marsh Lake Bog and
could have been a direct response of the dominant species to warmer conditions and/or the result of subtle
changes in the competitive hierarchy of tree species near a sensitive ecotone. The difference in the rate and full
expression of lodgepole forest development (taking nearly 2000 years longer at Camp Bog) was probably due
to a set of complex and local factors, such as cold air drainage and landscape position. Lodgepole pine forest
persisted throughout the late Holocene and appears to be the long-term regional “climax” forest, rather than a
seral habitat. Fire does not appear to have triggered the middle Holocene shift from spruce-dominated to
lodgepole pine-dominated forests in this area but may have contributed to its long-term persistence to the
present day.