David Sanger

The Holocene record of lake levels of Mansell Pond, central Maine, USA

A palaeohydrological study of Mansell Pond, a small (4 ha), closed-basin lake in central Maine, revealed distinct changes in lake levels throughout the Holocene. We examined the texture, organic content and macrofossils of eight cores and obtained 29 radiocarbon dates on transitions between sedimentary units. The water level fell between about 8000 14 C yr BP and 6000 14 C yr BP, and remained low until after 5000 14 C yr BP. The water level may have begun rising as early as 4750 14 C yr BP, with the most rapid increase occurring from 3225 14 C yr BP to 2780 14 C yr BP. This interpretation varies at some points from an earlier assessment of Mansell Ponds Holocene lake levels that was based on pollen and charcoal evidence from a single core. Records of Holocene lake levels from eastern Canada, the Lake Ontario region and southern New England are inconsistent with each other, suggesting that the influence of dominant air masses has been highly localized in this region

Crustal warping in coastal Maine

A multidisciplinary study of crustal movements in coastal Maine has shown that parts of the state9s coastal zone are subsiding. This subsidence is associated with seismic activity that has persisted locally since at least the 1800s. Bedrock structural studies have not produced evidence of major Holocene faulting, but measured horizontal rock strains may be related to Mesozoic graben development in the adjacent Gulf of Maine. The crustal down warping is most apparent in eastern Maine, where releveling data indicate a modern subsidence rate of as much as 9 mm/yr. The anomalously rapid sea-level rise resulting from this subsidence has caused erosion and submergence of archeological sites and historical man-made structures. However, the altitudes of glaciomarine deltas and the distribution of dated archeological sites show that the present subsidence rates have not persisted throughout Holocene time.

Holocene climate and vegetation in the Milford drainage basin, Maine, U.S.A., and their implications for human history

A 9200 14C year fossil pollen record from a small kettle lake in central Maine, northeast U.S.A., records the development of nearby upland vegetation throughout the Archaic, Ceramic, and Historic periods of human history. The Early Archaic period (9000 to 8000 B.P.) began as open woodland dominated by Picea, Populus, and Larix, which was replaced by Pinus forest. During the Middle Archaic (8000-6000 B.P.) Tsuga-dominated forest, which developed ca. 7400 B.P., was followed by Pinus forest (ca. 6400 B.P.). The Late Archaic (6000-3000 B.P.) was a period of great transition; Tsuga forest developed again ca. 5700 B.P., but was abruptly replaced by northern hardwood forest ca. 4700 B.P. That Late Archaic expansion of hardwoods would have provided better forage for beaver. Coincidentally, boreal wetland mammals such as beaver (Castor canadensis) and muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) increase in faunal assemblages of local archaeological sites, while remains of anadromous fish decrease. We postulate that the apparent increase in human populations throughout the region during the Late Archaic may be attributed to an increase in the resource base within both upland and wetland areas resulting from the development of hardwood forest in response to climatic cooling.

THE HIRUNDO ARCHAEOLOGICAL PROJECT ‐ AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO CENTRAL MAINE PREHISTORY*

The Hirundo Archaeological project is designed to examine the interrelationships between prehistoric man and his environment in central Maine in an inland setting. The project involves, but is not restricted to, members of the Institute for Quaternary Studies at the University of Maine, Orono. Although much of the fieldwork is completed, there remains a great deal of analysis before any final statements can be made. The authors have been involved since the inception of the project in 197 1. Robert G . MacKay and David Sanger have supervised the excavation and site analysis; Harold W. Borns, Jr. has directed the geological studies, and Ronald B. Davis has supervised the paleoecological aspects. The project has been coordinated by Sanger. Financial support has come from the National Geographic Society, the Hazel Smith Fund, and the University of Maine, Orono. Radiocarbon dates have been provided by the Smithsonian Institution through the efforts of Robert Stuckenrath. We would also like to acknowledge the cooperation of the landowners, Mr. J. Oliver Larouche of the Hirundo site, and Mr. K. Young of the Young site. With few exceptions, research in Maine has been dominated by the search and interpretation of the red ochre burials (the so-called “Red Paint” people), and the excavation of coastal sites, usually shell middens occupied during the winter. To provide some balance, we decided in the fall of 1971 to develop an inland project in the hopes of learning more about a neglected part of the seasonal activities, and at the same time focus on habitation components related to the mortuary complex termed the “Moorehead burial tradition.”’ Scientists capable of reconstructing the terrestrial paleoenvironments were invited to participate in order to provide a necessary background against which prehistoric man can be examined. The Hirundo site and locality is situated in central Maine in the Pushaw Lake region, which is drained by Pushaw Stream to the Penobscot River ( F I G U R E 1). The site was discovered by MacKay in 1971 following a tip from an amateur. Limited to a few days at the end of the field season, MacKay’s crew tested the site, putting down pits between trees in the heavily wooded area. Those initial pits indicated a multicomponent site suffering little or no man-inflicted damage.

Chapter 12 – Mid-Holocene cultural adaptations to central Maine

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the cultural adaptations as a result of climatic changes in the state of Maine in the New England region (United States), focusing on the central Maine region. The study assesses the potential impacts of climatic and environment changes on humans, which can be seen as vegetation and climatic changes, wetland evolution, and changes in water levels. It explores the reason for stating that a climatic perturbation or environmental change impacted hunters and gatherers living in an ecosystem with considerable biological diversity, especially if, as suspected, cultural coping devices had evolved to buffer negative aspects of environmental variability. Central Maine experienced a lengthy warm and dry mid-Holocene period. A decade-long effort has produced a Holocene record of cultural events, vegetation, wetland evolution, lake levels, and moisture balance at comparable temporal and spatial scales. Following deglaciation, wetlands of various types dominated central Maine. As far as cultural changes are concerned, this chapter states that Maine’s aboriginal populations practiced hunting, fishing, and gathering in mid-Holocene times. Finally, it indicates that though changes did occur, aboriginal people could mitigate, or at least minimize, the impacts of environmental perturbations, through prey switching and moving people from affected areas.

THE DAMARISCOTTA OYSTER SHELL HEAPS

Huge oyster shell heaps along the banks of the Damariscotta River were accumulated by North American Indians prior to the arrival of Europeans. The presence of the oysters and their eventual demise reflects the history of sea-level rise and attendant changes in the river. Archaeology helps to fix the date of salt water incursion into the river above Newcastle and

Holistic geoarchaeology in the Penobscot Valley, Maine, USA: context, scale, and interpretation

A holistic landscape approach to cultural resource analysis of a set of archaeological sites in the central Penobscot Valley led to inferences regarding the Holocene physical and biological environmental context. Targeted environmental studies include (1) examination of forest and wetland changes through time and (2) lake-level studies as a key to paleohydrology. These studies were combined with broad-scale geomorphic investigations and detailed stratigraphic analyses, and studies of archaeological sites and their artifact assemblages. Together, these studies provide a picture of dramatic changes to the physical and vegetational landscape. These included reestablishment of a major river following deglaciation, evolution of extensive lakes to uplands and peatlands, and a shifting mosaic of open and closed forest composed of a variety of hardwood and softwood species. Inferences based on buried soils exposed in archaeological excavations supported climatic interpretations based on vegetation and paleohydrology. As a result, this work allowed evaluation of (1) site formation and preservation processes and (2) occupational patterns. Site formation and preservation of Early Holocene sites can be linked to sedimentation by hydraulic damming upstream of rapids at the mouths of tributary streams. Shifting human land use reflected by changes in occupation patterns appears to correspond to changes in forest composition as well as wetland and stream evolution through time.