Itasca Bison Site
Basic information
Sample name: Itasca Bison Site
Sample aka: 21CE1
Reference: C. Widga. 2014. Middle Holocene taphonomy and paleoecology at the prairie-forest border, the Itasca Bison site, MN. Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology 39(3):251-279 [ER 3188]
Geography
Country: United States
State: Minnesota
County: Clearwater
Coordinate: 47° 14' N, 95° 12' W
Coordinate basis: based on nearby landmark
Time interval: Holocene
Max Ma: 0.00755
Min Ma: 0.00703
Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)
Geography comments: "approximately 300 m south of the western arm of Lake Itasca" (coordinate based on Itasca State Park)
there are three new uncalibrated AMS 14C dates: 7550 +/- 90, 7110 +/- 70, and 7030 +/- 60 B.P.
there are three new uncalibrated AMS 14C dates: 7550 +/- 90, 7110 +/- 70, and 7030 +/- 60 B.P.
Environment
Lithology: marl
Taphonomic context: fluvial deposit,human accumulation
Archaeology: stone tools
Habitat comments: an attritional fluvial assemblage with rare "butchered bison bones" and chipped stone tools and debitage
the main bonebed is in a marl
the main bonebed is in a marl
Methods
Life forms: carnivores,rodents,ungulates,other small mammals,birds,turtles,frogs,fishes
Sampling methods: quarry
Sample size: 2132 specimens
Years: 1937
Sampling comments: revision of inventory published by Shay (1971)
screenwashing is not discussed, but microfauna are abundant
screenwashing is not discussed, but microfauna are abundant
Metadata
Sample number: 3496
Contributor: John Alroy
Enterer: John Alroy
Created: 2019-09-07 21:50:05
Modified: 2019-09-09 02:33:40
Abundance distribution
33 species
13 singletons
total count 2132
geometric series index: 66.2
Fisher's α: 5.541
geometric series k: 0.8031
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.6626
Shannon's H: 1.5379
Good's u: 0.9939
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| Alces alces | 3 | 421 kg herbivore |
| Bison sp. | 1116 | |
| Odocoileus virginianus | 6 | 75 kg herbivore |
| Antilocapra americana | 1 | 51 kg |
| Canidae indet. | 18 | |
| Lontra canadensis | 1 | 7.1 kg piscivore |
| "Lutra canadensis" | ||
| Lepus americanus | 11 | 1.4 kg browser |
| Castor canadensis | 4 | 11 kg |
| Sorex palustris | 3 | 11.4 g |
| Poliocitellus franklinii | 1 | 443 g |
| "Spermophilus franklinii" | ||
| Neotamias minimus | 1 | |
| "Eutamias minimus" | ||
| Tamias striatus | 1 | 113 g frugivore-insectivore |
| Geomys bursarius | 1 | |
| Microtus pennsylvanicus | 6 | 35.7 g |
| Ondatra zibethicus | 154 | 1.1 kg |
| Zapodinae indet. | 1 | |
| Zapus or Napaeozapus | ||
| Gavia immer | 1 | 5.5 kg piscivore |
| Ardea cf. herodias | 4 | 54.9 g carnivore |
| Porzara sp. | 1 | |
| Bonasa umbellus | 1 | 566 g omnivore |
| Bubo virginianus | 3 | 34.0 g carnivore |
| Quiscalus quiscula | 1 | 120 g insectivore-granivore |
| Anas sp. | 5 | |
| Lithobates sp. | 2 | |
| "Rana sp." | ||
| Catostomus sp. | 101 | |
| Cyprinidae indet. | 2 | |
| Esox lucius | 134 | |
| Perca flavescens | 1 | |
| Stizostedium vitreum | 482 | |
| Micropterus cf. salmoides | 14 | |
| Centrarchidae indet. | 1 | |
| Chelydra serpentina | 4 | |
| Chrysemys picta | 47 | |