Christopher M Van de Ven | Sewanee: The University of the South (original) (raw)

Papers by Christopher M Van de Ven

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

The origins and histories of mounds are perennial topics of investigation in the American Southea... more The origins and histories of mounds are perennial topics of investigation in the American Southeast, underscoring the centrality of these monuments to the social lives and cosmologies of Indigenous southeastern peoples. Drawing upon theories of persistent place and path dependence, we argue that a focus on the pre-mound histories of mound sites can elucidate emplacement at these monumental locales. Our focus is the Johnston site (40MD3) in what is now known as West Tennessee, one of three sites along the South Fork of the Forked Deer River that witnessed unprecedented monumentalization in the early centuries AD. Geophysical survey, targeted excavations, and AMS dating at Johnston have revealed a 6000-year history that predates Middle Woodland mound building. By contextualizing this evidence against the cultural and environmental backdrop of the Middle Archaic through Middle Woodland Midsouth, we propose that formal emplacementthe creation and reinforcement of connections between people and placetranspired nearly four millennia after Johnston was first occupied, but possibly centuries before mounds were erected there. These findings underscore the complexity of processes of emplacement, and the importance of considering mounds within the larger spatial and temporal extents of monumental sites, and monumental sites within wider regional landscapes and histories.

Remote Sensing, 2020

Archaeologists often use near-surface geophysics or LiDAR-derived topographic imagery in their re... more Archaeologists often use near-surface geophysics or LiDAR-derived topographic imagery in their research. However, rarely are the two integrated in a way that offers a robust understanding of the complex historical palimpsests embedded within a social landscape. In this paper we present an integrated aerial and terrestrial remote sensing program at the Johnston Site, part of the larger Pinson Mounds landscape in the American MidSouth. Our work at Johnston was focused on better understanding the history of human landscape use and change so that we can begin to compare the Johnston Site with other large Middle Woodland (200 BC–AD 500) ceremonial centers in the region. Our research allowed us to examine the accuracy of an early map of the Johnston Site made in the early 20th century. However, our integrated remote sensing approach allows us to go well beyond testing the usefulness of the map; it helps identify different uses of the site through time and across space. Our research emphas...

Geological Society of America Bulletin, 2003

... These petrochemically based conclusions reinforce earlier ideas advanced by Crowder et al. ..... more ... These petrochemically based conclusions reinforce earlier ideas advanced by Crowder et al. ... with province-wide dextral transtension, probably caused in part by the overriding of the East Pacific Rise by the North American lithosphere (Atwater and Stock, 1998; Manley et al ...

Geological Society of America Bulletin, 2003

Earth Interactions, 2007

Complex environmental gradients in the White and Inyo Mountains in eastern California produce str... more Complex environmental gradients in the White and Inyo Mountains in eastern California produce striking variations in vegetation assemblages over short distances. Vegetation composition is dominated by elevational gradients of temperature and precipitation, but local modifications by geologic substrate, potential insolation, slope, and topographic position create finescale mosaics. Digital elevation models, geologic maps, and field data were used to map current species distributions over 6220 km2 (622 000 ha) of the White and Inyo Mountains. Species–environment relationships of 88 plant species were modeled at a scale of 54 m using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). CCA models were calibrated from 434 field plots and evaluated with 216 plots using kappa statistics. Vegetation responses to temperature increases of 1°–6°C were modeled by shifting species tolerances along the elevational gradient according to a standard lapse rate [3°C (500 m)−1] while all other factors were kept ...

Diverse Excursions in the Southeast: Paleozoic to Present

The Pennsylvanian section on the southern Cumberland Plateau in the Sewanee and Tracy City area i... more The Pennsylvanian section on the southern Cumberland Plateau in the Sewanee and Tracy City area is composed of the Gizzard Group (Raccoon Mountain Formation , Warren Point Sandstone, and Signal Point Shale) and the lower portion of the Crab Orchard Mountains Group (Sewanee Conglomerate and Whitwell Shale). The hydrogeologic setting of the area controlled the founding and development of the town of Sewanee and University of the South. Water use initially relied upon a system of perennial springs, soil seeps, shallow wells, and a failed method of dam construction. Later, reservoirs with earthen dams across fi rst-order drainages set the stage for growth of the community. Deformation associated with the Alleghanian Cumberland overthrust on the University Domain (more than 10,000 acres owned by the university) is subtle and confi ned to Bon Air coals in the Raccoon Mountain Formation, but a well-developed system of thrusts and folds in nearby Fiery Gizzard documents a consistent northwest tectonic transport direction. Deformation ranges from centimeter scale in Raccoon Mountain Formation mudstones to tens of meters of Warren Point Sandstone cut by northeast-striking thrusts. Deformation in Fiery Gizzard is locally related to two décollement surfaces above (intensely sheared Raccoon Mountain sandstone) and below (sheared Raccoon Mountain mudstones and coals) Sycamore Falls. Fourteen kilometers to the southeast, these overthrust structures are thought to connect to the Sequatchie thrust.

To assess the effects of regional climate change using remote-sensing methods, we conducted integ... more To assess the effects of regional climate change using remote-sensing methods, we conducted integrated geologic, botanical, and field-radiometer baseline studies on the ground in the central White-Inyo Mountains. Vegetation on contrasting geologic substrates in 58, 50 50 m sites was studied annually in early July and in late Sep-tember 1997–2001. We quantified areal abundances of plant species by using field inventories and ground-based values of the normalized-difference vegetation index (NDVI). Distributions and abundances of species are complex functions of microcli-mate (elevation, slope, and facing direction), seasonality, soil development, bed-rock lithologies, and albedo. X-ray diffraction studies demonstrate that the soils consist chiefly of in situ weathering components such as illite, montmorillonite, chlorite, quartz, carbonates, and feldspars. Soils along higher ridges contain modest amounts of wind-blown grains derived from glaciated granodioritic plutons and volcanic roof pendants of the Sierra Neva-da. Light-colored limestone and dolomite support only sparse amounts of Sagebrush at any altitude, whereas this drought-tolerant species is widespread on dark argil-lite, quartzite, phyllite, and granitic rocks. Grasses grow luxuriantly on dark granite and quartzite, but poorly on carbonate bed-rock. Trees are numerous on carbonate rocks, but are uncommon on dark granite and quartzite. Higher-albedo rocks and soils retain moisture better than darker † substrates and in general support greater vegetative cover and biomass. These studies provided ground control for hyperspectral data collected by ER-2 aircraft along three Airborne Visible and InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) flight lines. Because of the 16 m spatial resolution of the remotely sensed data, only plant communities could be mapped from AVIRIS imagery. On the basis of the dominant species, we identified the following communities: Shadscale/desert scrub; Pin-yon-Juniper woodlands; Sagebrush meadows ; Mountain Mahogany woodlands; Aspen woodlands; Bristlecone Pine–Limber Pine woodlands; and Alpine fell-fields. When judged by correlation with the 50 50 m ground-based inventoried sites, botanical community assignments for the June 2000 flight lines achieved an accuracy of 81%; in contrast, October 1996 assignments were only 65% correct, reflecting low sun angle and senesced vegetation.

The north-northwest–trending White- Inyo Range locally defines the western edge of the Great Basi... more The north-northwest–trending White-
Inyo Range locally defines the western edge
of the Great Basin. The northeast-trending
Barcroft structural break lies astride the
province boundary. Along this preintrusive,
high-angle reverse fault, middle Mesozoic
White Mountain Peak alkaline volcanic and
intercalated volcaniclastic rocks on the
north are separated from uppermost
Proterozoic–Lower Cambrian miogeoclinal
quartzite and carbonate strata on the south
by the 165 6 1 Ma (SHRIMP-RG, [sensitive,
high-resolution ion microprobe–
reverse geometry], U-Pb zircon) Barcroft
pluton. Although locally faulted, the subparallel
southeast and northwest borders of
the body display intrusive contacts. Finergrained
comagmatic metadiorite occurs as
early-stage dikes in the wall rocks. Eastward,
the 100 Ma McAfee Creek granite intrudes
the Barcroft pluton. Tertiary diabase
dikes crosscut the section. The two
granitic series, reflecting local evolution of
the Mesozoic arc system, are described in
this paper: (1) mafic granitoid rocks of the
calc-alkaline Barcroft series, including
chemically intergradational granodiorite,
gabbro/diorite, metadiorite, and rare
alaskite-aplite—all rich in large ion lithophile
elements (LILEs) and depleted in high
field strength elements (HFSEs), and (2)
granite of the felsic McAfee Creek series,
which has even greater enrichment of LILEs
and greater depletion in HFSEs than
†E-mail: ernst@pangea.stanford.edu.
the Barcroft pluton. Rocks rich in hornblende
6 clinopyroxene and belonging to
the Ca-rich, metaluminous Barcroft series
exhibit a broad range of chemical and mineral
compositions and represent products of
both mixing between high- and low-silica
members of the series to generate intermediate
compositions and fractional crystallization
to generate the most mafic (cumulate)
rocks. The younger, more
homogeneous, K-rich McAfee Creek–type
muscovite granite possesses mildly peraluminous,
minimum-melt compositions.
Field evidence for magma mixing and
isotopic data for the Barcroft series («Nd(t) 5
21.53 to 25.50, 87Sr/86Sr(i) 5
0.705320.7063) and the McAfee Creek
granite («Nd(t) 5 25.64 to 29.76, 87Sr/86Sr(i)
5 0.7062–0.7116) require open-system processes
and involvement of preexisting crustal
rocks in their genesis. The Barcroft series
is one of several shallow-level magma systems
now recognized in the Sierran arc that
include significant amounts of reworked,
preexisting crustal material. These magma
series are distinct from those that represent
demonstrably deeper levels of Mesozoic
magma systems and lack isotopic evidence
for significant involvement of older crust.
Despite these differences in magma sources
and evolution, both magma series evolved
along indistinguishable petrologic and
chemical trends.
Igneous rocks in the White Mountains
record post-Paleozoic growth of this part of
the Californian margin: (1) Jurassic and
younger subduction, partial fusion of the
overlying mantle wedge, and/or deep-seated
mafic crust, ascent of mildly alkaline and
later calc-alkaline magmas attending
Andean-style volcanic-plutonic arc production,
with significant involvement of preexisting
crustal rocks; (2) Late Cretaceous
thickening, heating, and crustal contamination,
followed by rise of peraluminous
granite-minimum melts; and (3) Neogene
Basin and Range lithospheric transtension,
tapping of upper-mantle diabasic melt, and
dike emplacement.

Abstract: White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations are impacting long-term regenera... more Abstract: White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations are impacting long-term regeneration across eastern United States forests. Deer distribution and resulting herbivory patterns are variable across a landscape due to habitat patchiness and topography. It is poorly understood how features associated with topography control deer herbivory. We examined the heterogeneity of deer herbivory as it affects sapling densities across a single forest-type landscape on the Cumberland Plateau.
The 1242 hectare site represented a peninsula of tableland that transitioned from developed land to forest and was surrounded on three sides by a bluff, irregularly punctuated by drainages. We
examined the spatial variability of deer impacts on sapling density and modeled the relative importance of plateau accessibility features related to topography, proximity to edge, and deer
culling as predictors of sapling variation. We used a stratified random design to sample sapling density across the landscape in 2012 and 2015. The intensity of deer herbivory on saplings varied,
with the fewest saplings in forests surrounded by residential development. Our model predicted that plateau accessibility measures best determined sapling densities, followed by distance from edge and deer culling measures. Our results suggest that herbivory impacts may not be homogeneous in a contiguous uniform landscape if there are topographic barriers.

Keywords: Cumberland Plateau; sapling; forest regeneration; oak-hickory forest; modeling

Other by Christopher M Van de Ven

Online by Christopher M Van de Ven

In last year's 30 Days of Tennessee Archaeology blog post, Secrets in the Smoke: Prehistoric Toba... more In last year's 30 Days of Tennessee Archaeology blog post, Secrets in the Smoke: Prehistoric Tobacco Use in Tennessee, we discussed the results of both pollen analysis and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis on archaeologically-recovered pipes and pipe residues from the state of Tennessee. Thanks to research funds provided by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, we are happy to report new findings. Having nearly exhausted the collections at the McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, we were fortunate to gain additional access to pipes from sites in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and North Carolina. We selected pipes based upon cultural and temporal affiliation and for the amount of residue. Once selected, residues were carefully removed, so as not damage the pipes. Afterwards, faculty and students from the Department of Chemistry at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee extracted organic compounds from the residues and analyzed them using GC/MS. This year we sampled 55 pipes, of which 35 produced positive evidence of tobacco use.

Publications by Christopher M Van de Ven

Archaeologists often use near-surface geophysics or LiDAR-derived topographic imagery in their re... more Archaeologists often use near-surface geophysics or LiDAR-derived topographic imagery in their research. However, rarely are the two integrated in a way that offers a robust understanding of the complex historical palimpsests embedded within a social landscape. In this paper we present an integrated aerial and terrestrial remote sensing program at the Johnston Site, part of the larger Pinson Mounds landscape in the American MidSouth. Our work at Johnston was focused on better understanding the history of human landscape use and change so that we can begin to compare the Johnston Site with other large Middle Woodland (200 BC-AD 500) ceremonial centers in the region. Our research allowed us to examine the accuracy of an early map of the Johnston Site made in the early 20th century. However, our integrated remote sensing approach allows us to go well beyond testing the usefulness of the map; it helps identify different uses of the site through time and across space. Our research emphasizes the importance of an integrated remote sensing methodology when examining complex social landscapes of the past and present.

Journal of Anthropological Archaeology

Remote Sensing, 2020

Geological Society of America Bulletin, 2003

Earth Interactions, 2007

Diverse Excursions in the Southeast: Paleozoic to Present

Keywords: Cumberland Plateau; sapling; forest regeneration; oak-hickory forest; modeling

Archaeologists often use near-surface geophysics or LiDAR-derived topographic imagery in their re... more Archaeologists often use near-surface geophysics or LiDAR-derived topographic imagery in their research. However, rarely are the two integrated in a way that offers a robust understanding of the complex historical palimpsests embedded within a social landscape. In this paper we present an integrated aerial and terrestrial remote sensing program at the Johnston Site, part of the larger Pinson Mounds landscape in the American MidSouth. Our work at Johnston was focused on better understanding the history of human landscape use and change so that we can begin to compare the Johnston Site with other large Middle Woodland (200 BC-AD 500) ceremonial centers in the region. Our research allowed us to examine the accuracy of an early map of the Johnston Site made in the early 20th century. However, our integrated remote sensing approach allows us to go well beyond testing the usefulness of the map; it helps identify different uses of the site through time and across space. Our research emphasizes the importance of an integrated remote sensing methodology when examining complex social landscapes of the past and present.