Christopher Moore | University of South Carolina (original) (raw)

Papers by Christopher Moore

Sifting the Sands of Time: Geoarchaeology, Culture Chronology, and Climate Change at Squires Ridge, Northeastern North Carolina

Southeastern Archaeology, 2013

Geological investigations of Herndon Bay, a Carolina bay in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina (... more Geological investigations of Herndon Bay, a Carolina bay in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina (USA), provide evidence for rapid basin scour and migration during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 of the late Pleistocene. LiDAR data show a regressive sequence of sand rims that partially backfill the remnant older portions of the bay, with evidence for basin migration more than 600 meters to the northwest. Basin migration was punctuated by periods of stability and construction of a regressive sequence of sand rims with basal muddy sands incorporated into the oldest rims. Single grain OSL ages place the initial formation of each sand rim from oldest to most recent as ca. 36.7 +/-4.1, 29.6 +/-3.1, and 27.2 +/-2.8 ka. These ages indicate that migration and rim construction was coincident with MIS 3 through early MIS 2, a time of rapid oscillations in climate. The fact that Carolina bay basins can migrate, yet maintain their characteristic shape

American Antiquity, 2016

Results of protein residue and lithic microwear analyses are reported for Paleoindian and Early A... more Results of protein residue and lithic microwear analyses are reported for Paleoindian and Early Archaic stone tools from a Carolina bay sand rim on the Aiken Plateau of South Carolina, USA. Protein residue analysis is performed using crossover Immunoelectrophoresis (CIEP), and indicates positive results for Bovidae, Cervidae, Galliformes, and Meleagris gallopavo. These results are complemented by a larger immunological study of 135 diagnostic hafted bifaces from South Carolina and Georgia. Among other species identified, bovid residue was found on multiple Paleoindian hafted bifaces, an Early Archaic hafted biface, and a Middle Archaic hafted biface. Results suggest continuity of species selection and availability across the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary and provide no support for the exploitation of extinct fauna. The data do provide compelling evidence for a demographic shift and/or regional extirpation of Bovidae possibly as late as the early mid-Holocene in the Southeast. In add...

Rapid Scour, Sand Rim Construction, and Basin Migration of a Carolina Bay in Southeastern North Carolina

Ongoing geomorphological fieldwork at Herndon Bay in northern Robeson County, North Carolina, has... more Ongoing geomorphological fieldwork at Herndon Bay in northern Robeson County, North Carolina, has revealed evidence for rapid bay basin scour and landform migration. LiDAR data show a regressive sequence of sand rims that partially backfill the remnant older bay basin, with bay migration of more than 600 meters to the northwest. Similarly, other bays in the region show evidence of significant migration. A series of Geoprobe® cores (n=4), basal OSL samples (n=3), and GPR data were collected along transects that cross-cut multiple bay sand rims along the bays southeastern margin. Cores were subsequently analyzed to determine basic lithologies, grain-size statistics of lithologic units (i.e., lithofaces), and magnetic susceptibly. These data, along with GPR data and OSL age estimates are used to reconstruct landform geomorphology and provide a geochronology for bay rim development. Evidence suggests bay migration, including scouring of the underlying mud facies. This migration is punct...

Scientific Reports

Legacy, 2023

South Carolina Fluted Point Survey

Nature Scientific Reports, 2023

Previous immunological studies in the eastern USA have failed to establish a direct connection be... more Previous immunological studies in the eastern USA have failed to establish a direct connection between Paleoamericans and extinct megafauna species. The lack of physical evidence for the presence of extinct megafauna begs the question, did early Paleoamericans regularly hunt or scavenge these animals, or were some megafauna already extinct? In this study of 120 Paleoamerican stone tools from across North and South Carolina, we investigate this question using crossover immunoelectrophoresis (CIEP). We find immunological support for the exploitation of extant and extinct megafauna, including Proboscidea, Equidae, and Bovidae (possibly Bison antiquus), on Clovis points and scrapers, as well as possible early Paleoamerican Haw River points. Post-Clovis points tested positive for Equidae and Bovidae but not Proboscidea. Microwear results are consistent with projectile usage, butchery, fresh-and dry hide scraping, the use of ochre-coated dry hides for hafting, and dry hide sheath wear. This study represents the first direct evidence of the exploitation of extinct megafauna by Clovis and other Paleoamerican cultures in the Carolinas and more broadly, across the eastern United States, where there is generally poor to non-existent faunal preservation. Future CIEP analysis of stone tools may provide evidence on the timing and demography of megafaunal collapse leading to eventual extinction. Numerous immunological studies of prehistoric chipped stone tools have provided evidence consistent with the preservation of prehistoric blood protein residues (Williamson et al. 1 ; Downs and Lowenstein 2 ; Gerlach et al. 3 ; Hardy et al. 4 ; Hyland et al. 5 ; Kooyman et al. 6 ; Kooyman et al. 7 ; Lowenstein 8,9 ; Loy and Dixon 10 ; Newman 11 ; Newman and Julig 12 ; Newman et al. 13 ; Moore et al. 14 ; Shanks et al. 15 ; Gill-King 16 ; Seeman et al. 17 ; Yohe and Bamforth 18 ; Nowell et al. 19). These studies have provided valuable insight into prehistoric human/animal interactions with consistent ecological implications derived from the archaeological record (i.e. concordance between preserved faunal remains and immunological results). For example, Moore et al. 14 recovered large numbers of gastroliths and calcined fragments of avian bone from Flamingo Bay (38AK469) indicating extensive processing of large birds. Immunological testing using crossover immunoelectrophoresis (CIEP) subsequently identified turkey along with quail, grouse, or other gallinaceous fowl on stone tools from the site. Despite this, CIEP has not been without skeptics.

Scientific reports, Mar 9, 2017

Paleoindian Settlement in the Southeastern United States: The Role of Large Databases. In New Directions in the Search for the First Floridans, edited by David Thulman and Irv Garrison, pp. 241–275. University Press of Florida, Gainesville., 2019

Two large research databases developed in recent years, popularly known by their acronyms PIDBA a... more Two large research databases developed in recent years, popularly known by their acronyms PIDBA and DINAA, have been helping us understand early human settlement in Southeastern North America, defined here as extending from Florida to Virginia on the east, and Louisiana and Arkansas on the west. PIDBA, or the Paleoindian Database of the Americas, has been under construction since 1990, providing distribution maps, attribute data, and images for Paleoindian projectile points, as well as compilations of radiocarbon dates and bibliographic references. DINAA, the Digital Index of North American Archaeology, in contrast, was established in 2012 with the goal of integrating or, more accurately, rendering interoperable archaeological site file data, while providing links to information about specific sites in other databases, collections, and publications, using the formal site number as the common referent, or indexing tool. While PIDBA now covers all of North America, DINAA, much like PIDBA in its early years, has been slowly expanding coverage, and currently includes information from roughly half a million sites from 15 states in the Eastern United States. Both databases are open access, with content freely available to all interested parties online, and can be easily found by searching for their
acronyms, or linking directly to them at http://pidba.tennessee.edu and
http://ux.opencontext.org/archaeology-site-data/.

Previously, a large platinum (Pt) anomaly was reported in the Greenland ice sheet at the Younger ... more Previously, a large platinum (Pt) anomaly was reported in the Greenland ice sheet at the Younger Dryas boundary (YDB) (12,800 Cal B.P.). In order to evaluate its geographic extent, fire-assay and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (FA and ICP-MS) elemental analyses were performed on 11 widely separated archaeological bulk sedimentary sequences. We document discovery of a distinct Pt anomaly spread widely across North America and dating to the Younger Dryas (YD) onset. The apparent synchroneity of this widespread YDB Pt anomaly is consistent with Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2) data that indicated atmospheric input of platinum-rich dust. We expect the Pt anomaly to serve as a widely-distributed time marker horizon (datum) for identification and correlation of the onset of the YD climatic episode at 12,800 Cal B.P. This Pt datum will facilitate the dating and correlating of archaeological, paleontological, and paleoenvironmental data between sequences, especially those with limited age control. In 2013, Petaev et al. 1 discovered an anomalously large platinum (Pt) peak in ice core samples from the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2), thus providing the most compelling evidence to date for a catastrophic extraterres-trial event coincident with the onset of the Younger Dryas (YD) climate episode. In the study by Petaev et al., high-resolution (2.5–4.6 y) time-series of ice core samples were analyzed for trace and major element concentrations using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Petaev et al. 1 reported the presence of a Pt peak anomaly at the Bølling-Allerød/Younger Dryas Boundary (YDB), coincident with a large shift in δ 18 O values, confirming the onset of cooler conditions at the beginning of the YD interval. This peak interval is represented by a rise in Pt concentrations over 14 years and subsequent drop during the following 7 years, consistent with the known residence time of stratospheric dust 1. This sharply defined Pt anomaly at the YD onset in GISP2 is coeval with other YDB impact-related proxies, including nanodiamonds and melted spherules, found in Greenland and across four continents and is proposed by Petaev et al. to have resulted from a highly fractionated, Ir-deficient, iron-rich, extraterrestrial impactor. However, ten additional YDB studies have reported different concentrations

Results of protein residue and lithic microwear analyses are reported for Paleoindian and Early A... more Results of protein residue and lithic microwear analyses are reported for Paleoindian and Early Archaic stone tools from a Carolina bay sand rim on the Aiken Plateau of South Carolina, USA. Protein residue analysis is performed using cross-over immunoelectrophoresis (CIEP), and indicates positive results for Bovidae, Cervidae, Galliformes, and Meleagris gal-lopavo. These results are complemented by a larger immunological study of 135 diagnostic hafted bifaces from South Carolina and Georgia. Among other species identified, bovid residue was found on multiple Paleoindian hafted bifaces, an Early Archaic hafted biface, and a Middle Archaic hafted biface. Results suggest continuity of species selection and availability across the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary and provide no support for the exploitation of extinct fauna. The data do provide compelling evidence for a demographic shift and/or regional extirpation of Bovidae possibly as late as the early mid-Holocene in the Southeast. In addition, microwear analysis of artifacts from Flamingo Bay indicate intensive hide scraping, antler boring, bone graving/planing/pointing, wood whittling, and hafting traces. Microwear data suggest intentional snap-fracture or bipolarization of exhausted or broken Clovis points for reuse as hide scrapers, and use of large bifacial knives and unifacial scrapers in intensive defleshing activities consistent with large animal butchery.

Geological investigations of Herndon Bay, a Carolina bay in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina (... more Geological investigations of Herndon Bay, a Carolina bay in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina (USA), provide evidence for rapid basin scour and migration during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 of the late Pleisto-cene. LiDAR data show a regressive sequence of sand rims that partially backfill the remnant older portions of the bay, with evidence for basin migration more than 600 meters to the northwest. Basin migration was punctuated by periods of stability and construction of a regressive sequence of sand rims with basal muddy sands incorporated into the oldest rims. Single grain OSL ages place the initial formation of each sand rim from oldest to most recent as ca. 36.7 +/-4.1, 29.6 +/-3.1, and 27.2 +/-2.8 ka. These ages indicate that migration and rim construction was coincident with MIS 3 through early MIS 2, a time of rapid oscillations in climate. The fact that Carolina bay basins can migrate , yet maintain their characteristic shape

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013

Airbursts/impacts by a fragmented comet or asteroid have been proposed at the Younger Dryas onset... more Airbursts/impacts by a fragmented comet or asteroid have been proposed at the Younger Dryas onset (12.80 ± 0.15 ka) based on identification of an assemblage of impact-related proxies, including microspherules, nanodiamonds, and iridium. Distributed across four continents at the Younger Dryas boundary (YDB), spherule peaks have been independently confirmed in eight studies, but unconfirmed in two others, resulting in continued dispute about their occurrence, distribution, and origin. To further address this dispute and better identify YDB spherules, we present results from one of the largest spherule investigations ever undertaken regarding spherule geochemistry, morphologies, origins, and processes of formation. We investigated 18 sites across North America, Europe, and the Middle East, performing nearly 700 analyses on spherules using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy for geochemical analyses and scanning electron microscopy for surface microstructural characterization. Twelve locations rank among the world's premier end-Pleistocene archaeological sites, where the YDB marks a hiatus in human occupation or major changes in site use. Our results are consistent with melting of sediments to temperatures >2,200°C by the thermal radiation and air shocks produced by passage of an extraterrestrial object through the atmosphere; they are inconsistent with volcanic, cosmic, anthropogenic, lightning, or authigenic sources. We also produced spherules from wood in the laboratory at >1,730°C, indicating that impactrelated incineration of biomass may have contributed to spherule production. At 12.8 ka, an estimated 10 million tonnes of spherules were distributed across ∼50 million square kilometers, similar to well-known impact strewnfields and consistent with a major cosmic impact event.

Bayesian chronological analyses consistent with synchronous age of 12,835-12,735 Cal B.P. for Younger Dryas boundary on four continents

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Jan 27, 2015

The Younger Dryas impact hypothesis posits that a cosmic impact across much of the Northern Hemis... more The Younger Dryas impact hypothesis posits that a cosmic impact across much of the Northern Hemisphere deposited the Younger Dryas boundary (YDB) layer, containing peak abundances in a variable assemblage of proxies, including magnetic and glassy impact-related spherules, high-temperature minerals and melt glass, nanodiamonds, carbon spherules, aciniform carbon, platinum, and osmium. Bayesian chronological modeling was applied to 354 dates from 23 stratigraphic sections in 12 countries on four continents to establish a modeled YDB age range for this event of 12,835-12,735 Cal B.P. at 95% probability. This range overlaps that of a peak in extraterrestrial platinum in the Greenland Ice Sheet and of the earliest age of the Younger Dryas climate episode in six proxy records, suggesting a causal connection between the YDB impact event and the Younger Dryas. Two statistical tests indicate that both modeled and unmodeled ages in the 30 records are consistent with synchronous deposition of ...

A sediment column (0-110 cm) from Squires Ridge (38ED365), a stratified archaeological site on th... more A sediment column (0-110 cm) from Squires Ridge (38ED365), a stratified archaeological site on the Tar River in North Carolina, was analyzed to evaluate magnetic microspherules and other geochemical markers reported for the Younger Dryas Boundary (YDB). Here we report on microspherules using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) along with bulk sediment geochemistry, carbon and nitrogen isotopes, sedimentology, and luminescence dates for pre-Younger Dryas to recent age deposits. We report the presence of large Platinum (Pt) anomalies consistent with data reported for the GISP2 ice core and occurring within a modal peak of magnetic microspherules between 60 and 80 cmbs. The Pt anomalies at Squires Ridge (SR) are consistent with an extraterrestrial source; however, archaeostratigraphy, single-grain OSL, and AMS dating all indicate that the buried spherule peak and Pt anomalies at SR are contained within sediments that post-date the YD event. No spherules or Pt anomalies have been identified below 82.5 cmbs at SR. Since the inferred location of the YDB at SR is between ~80 and 90 cmbs, the presence of these markers immediately above the YDB is most likely due to reworking of sediments during periodic aggradation events (post YDB) as indicated by geoarchaeological analysis of the site (Moore 2009). This interpretation is supported by the presence of 44% of the grains from the lower OSL sample that date to the Younger Dryas. Alternatively, these proxies may relate to other, as of yet unknown events or processes. Particle-size analysis provide no evidence for significant translocation of silt-sized sediments from above and accumulation of spherules at lithologic discontinuities or where changes in grain size occur. Analysis of the fine magnetic grain fraction (≤ 61 µm) shows a large anomaly at 85-87.5 cm—consistent with the YDB at many other sites (LeCompte et al. 2012). Geochemically distinct spherule populations by depth suggest multiple and chronologically asynchronous formation events while surface spherules appear to be industrial fly ash and unrelated to more deeply buried spherules. Stable isotopes reveal no obvious change across the Pleistocene-Holocene transition or correlation with spherules, although a mid- Holocene shift may represent changes in climate and vegetation.

Squires Ridge is a multicomponent, stratified site situated atop a relict sand dune along the Tar... more Squires Ridge is a multicomponent, stratified site situated atop a relict sand dune along the Tar River in eastern North Carolina. Based upon temporally diagnostic artifacts and chronometric dates, three occupation zones (Early Archaic and Middle Archaic, Late Archaic and Early/Middle Woodland) are buried within the upper meter of aeolian sand. Trench excavation data including the analysis of artifact backplots, artifact refitting, chronometric dates, and the frequency distribution of artifact counts by level indicate the presence of intact, stratified occupations at the site. Great potential exists at Squires Ridge to answer questions related to the early prehistory of the North Carolina Coastal Plain.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Jan 27, 2015

The Younger Dryas impact hypothesis posits that a cosmic impact across much of the Northern Hemis... more The Younger Dryas impact hypothesis posits that a cosmic impact across much of the Northern Hemisphere deposited the Younger Dryas boundary (YDB) layer, containing peak abundances in a variable assemblage of proxies, including magnetic and glassy impact-related spherules, high temperature minerals and melt glass, nanodiamonds, carbon spherules, aciniform carbon, platinum, and osmium. Bayesian chronological modeling was applied to 354 dates from 23 stratigraphic sections in 12 countries on four continents to establish a modeled YDB age range for this event of
12,835–12,735 Cal B.P. at 95% probability. This range overlaps that of a peak in extraterrestrial platinum in the Greenland Ice Sheet and of the earliest age of the Younger Dryas climate episode in six proxy records, suggesting a causal connection between the YDB impact event and the Younger Dryas. Two statistical tests indicate that both modeled and unmodeled ages in the 30 records are consistent with synchronous deposition of the YDB layer within the limits of dating uncertainty (∼100 y). The widespread distribution of the YDB layer suggests that it may serve as a datum layer.

Southeastern Archaeology, 2013

Competing models of Early Archaic settlement in the Southeast propose broad-scale organization co... more Competing models of Early Archaic settlement in the Southeast propose broad-scale organization conditioned by either lithic raw material availability or seasonal exploitation of biotic resources and social interaction. We offer a view from beyond the quarries and away from the river with data from the North Carolina Sandhills, a unique physiographic zone of the interior Coastal Plain. Analysis of the distribution of Early Archaic sites at Fort Bragg, including posited upland base camps, raw material use, and application of GIS least-cost path analysis, suggests intensive interriverine settlement, with watershed divides serving as
conveyance corridors between high-quality toolstone areas in the Piedmont and resource blooms in the Coastal Plain. Some settlement changes are evident within the Early Archaic sequence, including a gradual shift from logistical to residential mobility and infilling of the local landscape. In the proposed Sandhills model, biocultural needs, social interaction, and requirements for high-quality toolstone are identified at the local band level. Mobility and settlement are considered to be broadly structured by networks of interriverine trails between the major resource areas of the
Piedmont and Coastal Plain. Aspects of both the band-macroband
model and Uwharrie-Allendale model apply to the Early Archaic record of the Sandhills, but with closer affinities to the latter.

Sifting the Sands of Time: Geoarchaeology, Culture Chronology, and Climate Change at Squires Ridge, Northeastern North Carolina

Southeastern Archaeology, 2013

American Antiquity, 2016

Rapid Scour, Sand Rim Construction, and Basin Migration of a Carolina Bay in Southeastern North Carolina

Scientific Reports

Legacy, 2023

South Carolina Fluted Point Survey

Nature Scientific Reports, 2023

Scientific reports, Mar 9, 2017

Results of protein residue and lithic microwear analyses are reported for Paleoindian and Early A... more Results of protein residue and lithic microwear analyses are reported for Paleoindian and Early Archaic stone tools from a Carolina bay sand rim on the Aiken Plateau of South Carolina, USA. Protein residue analysis is performed using cross-over immunoelectrophoresis (CIEP), and indicates positive results for Bovidae, Cervidae, Galliformes, and Meleagris gal-lopavo. These results are complemented by a larger immunological study of 135 diagnostic hafted bifaces from South Carolina and Georgia. Among other species identified, bovid residue was found on multiple Paleoindian hafted bifaces, an Early Archaic hafted biface, and a Middle Archaic hafted biface. Results suggest continuity of species selection and availability across the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary and provide no support for the exploitation of extinct fauna. The data do provide compelling evidence for a demographic shift and/or regional extirpation of Bovidae possibly as late as the early mid-Holocene in the Southeast. In addition, microwear analysis of artifacts from Flamingo Bay indicate intensive hide scraping, antler boring, bone graving/planing/pointing, wood whittling, and hafting traces. Microwear data suggest intentional snap-fracture or bipolarization of exhausted or broken Clovis points for reuse as hide scrapers, and use of large bifacial knives and unifacial scrapers in intensive defleshing activities consistent with large animal butchery.

Geological investigations of Herndon Bay, a Carolina bay in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina (... more Geological investigations of Herndon Bay, a Carolina bay in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina (USA), provide evidence for rapid basin scour and migration during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 of the late Pleisto-cene. LiDAR data show a regressive sequence of sand rims that partially backfill the remnant older portions of the bay, with evidence for basin migration more than 600 meters to the northwest. Basin migration was punctuated by periods of stability and construction of a regressive sequence of sand rims with basal muddy sands incorporated into the oldest rims. Single grain OSL ages place the initial formation of each sand rim from oldest to most recent as ca. 36.7 +/-4.1, 29.6 +/-3.1, and 27.2 +/-2.8 ka. These ages indicate that migration and rim construction was coincident with MIS 3 through early MIS 2, a time of rapid oscillations in climate. The fact that Carolina bay basins can migrate , yet maintain their characteristic shape

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013

Bayesian chronological analyses consistent with synchronous age of 12,835-12,735 Cal B.P. for Younger Dryas boundary on four continents

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Jan 27, 2015

The Younger Dryas impact hypothesis posits that a cosmic impact across much of the Northern Hemis... more The Younger Dryas impact hypothesis posits that a cosmic impact across much of the Northern Hemisphere deposited the Younger Dryas boundary (YDB) layer, containing peak abundances in a variable assemblage of proxies, including magnetic and glassy impact-related spherules, high temperature minerals and melt glass, nanodiamonds, carbon spherules, aciniform carbon, platinum, and osmium. Bayesian chronological modeling was applied to 354 dates from 23 stratigraphic sections in 12 countries on four continents to establish a modeled YDB age range for this event of
12,835–12,735 Cal B.P. at 95% probability. This range overlaps that of a peak in extraterrestrial platinum in the Greenland Ice Sheet and of the earliest age of the Younger Dryas climate episode in six proxy records, suggesting a causal connection between the YDB impact event and the Younger Dryas. Two statistical tests indicate that both modeled and unmodeled ages in the 30 records are consistent with synchronous deposition of the YDB layer within the limits of dating uncertainty (∼100 y). The widespread distribution of the YDB layer suggests that it may serve as a datum layer.

Southeastern Archaeology, 2013

SEAC 2012, 2012

The Savannah River Archaeological Research Program has recently undertaken research to identify t... more The Savannah River Archaeological Research Program has recently undertaken research to identify the locations of metavolcanic quarries in the South Carolina Slate Belt and characterize these sources using a combination of Neodymium isotope geochemistry and rare earth elements (REEs). The purpose of this study is to determine the geological provenance and chemical signature of stone quarries for sourcing prehistoric artifacts. This research will compliment earlier work on stone quarries in the North Carolina Slate Belt by Steponaitis et al. (2006) (http://rla.unc.edu/Publications/pdf/ResRep25/) and will enhance our understanding of hunter-gatherer settlement systems and mobility in the South Carolina Piedmont and beyond.

Carolina bays are oriented, shallow upland ponds occurring on the Atlantic Coastal Plain from New... more Carolina bays are oriented, shallow upland ponds occurring on the Atlantic Coastal Plain from New Jersey to North Florida. Historically, Carolina bays have received attention from those speculating on a catastrophic emplacement through cometary, meteoric, or airburst impacts. Recently, it has even been speculated that bays formed from steam outgassing within superheated distal ejecta from an impact over the Great Lakes region. In this scenario, Quaternary-aged cover sands along the eastern seaboard, including "enigmatic" sand ridge scarps (e.g., Goldsboro Scarp) and Carolina bays, are purported to be causally linked to a catastrophic impact. Carolina bay shape, orientation, and sand rims are all used as evidence for an alignment with an impact crater not observed and not known to exist. Other researchers have posited that bays are linked with the purported Younger Dryas comet impact/airburst at ca. 12.9 ka, whereby bay formation was through aerial air-bursts or through a rain of distal impact ejecta to form oblique craters.

While these claims persist, our data indicate that Carolina bay origin and evolution are much better explained through more mundane, uniformitarian processes. The evidence gathered from Carolina bays in South Carolina and beyond demonstrate bay genesis as oriented lakes and formation through lacustrine processes of wind on shallow ponded water. Ray Kaczorowski's wind table modeling in 1977 revealed quite clearly how unidirectional winds on ponded water produce subaqueous circulation cells that shape and orient the bays, while constructing their sand rims as high-energy shoreline features.

More recent work, including GPR, granulometry, OSL dating, and evidence from examination of LiDAR data, reveals that bays reflect long-term, pervasive and evolving environmental and climatological factors over millennia, not sudden or catastrophic events. Thus, a catastrophic origin is neither supported by geological data, nor needed to explain features we attribute to Carolina bays; Carolina bays are neither enigmatic, nor mysterious, but rather are relatively well understood oriented lakes. While nuances of bay formation through lacustrine shore processes remain to be resolved, the fundamental concepts are well understood and have been for some time. Kaczorowski was right!

Recently, a reanalysis of data from the South Carolina Collector Survey was initiated in an effor... more Recently, a reanalysis of data from the South Carolina Collector Survey was initiated in an effort to produce a comprehensive GIS database of hafted biface and lithic raw material types across the entire state. Although earlier studies have utilized these data, this is the first time that hafted biface types (~90,000 artifacts) have been compiled and illustrated geospatially within GIS for Paleoindian through Mississippian time periods. Research applications for this database include evaluation of diachronic and geospatial changes in mobility patterns, macroband territories, settlement organization, and raw material use by hunter-gatherers in South Carolina.

Early Human Life in the Southeastern Coastal Plain, 2018

Prehistoric Chipped Stone Tools of South Carolina, 2018

A reanalysis of data from the South Carolina Collectors Survey was initiated in an effort to prod... more A reanalysis of data from the South Carolina Collectors Survey was initiated in an effort to produce a comprehensive GIS database of hafted biface and lithic raw material types across the entire state. Although earlier studies [Sassaman et al. 1990] have used the data, this is the first time that hafted biface types (~90,000 artifacts) have been compiled and illustrated geospatially within GIS for Paleoindian through Mississippian time periods. Research applications for this database include but are not limited to evaluation of diachronic and geospatial changes in mobility patterns, macroband territories, settlement organization, and raw material use by hunter-gatherers in South Carolina.

*This is a Chapter from the book Prehistoric Chipped Stone Tools of South Carolina by Tommy Charles and Christopher R. Moore published by the Piedmont Archaeological Studies Trust (PAST). The complete book may be purchased at Amazon.com. https://www.amazon.com/Prehistoric-Chipped-Stone-Tools-Carolina/dp/1985163683/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=prehistoric+Chipped+stone+tools+of+south+Carolina&qid=1561141199&s=gateway&sr=8-1
All proceeds go to support PAST.

Airbursts/impacts by a fragmented comet or asteroid have been proposed at the Younger Dryas onset (12.80 ± 0.15 ka) based on identification of an assemblage of impact-related proxies.

Evidence for deposition of 10 million tonnes of impact spherules across four continents 12,800 y ... more Evidence for deposition of 10 million tonnes of impact spherules across four continents 12,800 y ago.

James H. Wittkea , James C. Weaverb , Ted E. Buncha,1, James P. Kennettc , Douglas J. Kennettd , Andrew M. T. Mooree , Gordon C. Hillmanf , Kenneth B. Tankersleyg , Albert C. Goodyearh , Christopher R. Moorei , I. Randolph Daniel, Jr.j , Jack H. Rayk , Neal H. Lopinotk , David Ferrarol , Isabel Israde-Alcántaram, James L. Bischoffn , Paul S. DeCarlio , Robert E. Hermesp,2, Johan B. Kloostermanq,2, Zsolt Revayr , George A. Howards , David R. Kimbelt , Gunther Kletetschkau , Ladislav Nabeleku,v, Carl P. Lipow, Sachiko Sakaiw, Allen Westx , and Richard B. Firestoney.

Airbursts/impacts by a fragmented comet or asteroid have been proposed at the Younger Dryas onset (12.80 ± 0.15 ka) based on identification of an assemblage of impact-related proxies, including microspherules, nanodiamonds, and iridium. Distributed across four continents at the Younger Dryas boundary (YDB), spherule peaks have been independently confirmed in eight studies, but unconfirmed in two others, resulting in continued dispute about their occurrence, distribution, and origin. To further address this dispute and better identify YDB spherules, we present results from one of the largest spherule investigations ever undertaken regarding spherule geochemistry, morphologies, origins, and processes of formation. We investigated 18 sites across North America, Europe, and the Middle East, performing nearly 700 analyses on spherules using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy for geochemical analyses and scanning electron microscopy for surface microstructural characterization. Twelve locations rank among the world’s premier end-Pleistocene archaeological sites, where the YDB marks a hiatus in human occupation or major changes in site use. Our results are consistent with melting of sediments to temperatures >2,200 °C by the thermal radiation and air shocks produced by passage of an extraterrestrial object through the atmosphere; they are inconsistent with volcanic, cosmic, anthropogenic, lightning, or authigenic sources. We also produced spherules from wood in the laboratory at >1,730 °C, indicating that impact related incineration of biomass may have contributed to spherule production. At 12.8 ka, an estimated 10 million tonnes of spherules were distributed across ∼50 million square kilometers, similar to well-known impact strewnfields and consistent with a major cosmic impact event.