Marmes Rockshelter (Marmes horizon)
Basic information
Sample name: Marmes Rockshelter (Marmes horizon)
Reference: R. L. Lyman. 2014. Terminal Pleistocene change in mammal communities in southeastern Washington State, USA. Quaternary Research 81(2):295-304 [ER 3771]
Geography
Country: United States
State: Washington
Coordinate: 46° 36' 51" N, 118° 12' 8" W
Coordinate basis: stated in text
Time interval: Holocene
Section: 3771
Unit number: 3
Unit order: below to above
Max Ma: 0.00987
Min Ma: 0.00971
Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)
Geography comments: "Marmes Rockshelter is situated at the confluence of the Snake and Palouse Rivers, in Franklin County, southeastern Washington, USA".
"Two radiocarbon dates on materials from the Marmes horizon indicate that it was deposited between about 9700 and 9870 BP", representing the earliest Holocene.
"Two radiocarbon dates on materials from the Marmes horizon indicate that it was deposited between about 9700 and 9870 BP", representing the earliest Holocene.
Environment
Lithology: not described
Taphonomic context: overbank deposit
Archaeology: stone tools
Habitat comments: The Marmes horizon is one of three main horizons of the floodplain sediments located in front of the Marmes Rockshelter, where a trench was excavated for stratigraphic analysis.
These deposits have been interpreted as "alluvial overbank sediments, superimposed as a series of weakly developed pedogenic horizons". The floodplain stratigraphic sequence consists of alternating dark and light layers; the dark layers contained artifacts [presumably stone tools] and faunal remains, while the light layers produced very few artifacts and faunal remains". Many of the faunal remains in both horizons were accumulated and deposited by natural, as opposed to anthropogenic, processes".
These deposits have been interpreted as "alluvial overbank sediments, superimposed as a series of weakly developed pedogenic horizons". The floodplain stratigraphic sequence consists of alternating dark and light layers; the dark layers contained artifacts [presumably stone tools] and faunal remains, while the light layers produced very few artifacts and faunal remains". Many of the faunal remains in both horizons were accumulated and deposited by natural, as opposed to anthropogenic, processes".
Methods
Life forms: carnivores,rodents,ungulates,other small mammals
Sampling methods: quarry
Sample size: 372 specimens
Years: 1968 - 1969
Sampling comments: "Excavations at Marmes Rockshelter took place in the 1960s. Excavations in 1962–1964 focused on sediments within the rockshelter itself; excavations in 1968–1969 focused on floodplain sediments. Approximately 10,000 m3 of overburden was removed mechanically, while another 500 m3 was removed by hand".
Metadata
Sample number: 4049
Contributor: Benjamin Carter
Enterer: Benjamin Carter
Modifier no: John Alroy
Created: 2023-02-14 11:38:13
Modified: 2024-11-15 11:15:50
Abundance distribution
15 species
4 singletons
total count 372
geometric series index: 24.9
Fisher's α: 3.135
geometric series k: 0.6966
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.7408
Shannon's H: 1.6783
Good's u: 0.9893
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts.
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Register
| Scapanus cf. orarius | 1 | 58.0 g |
| Lepus sp. | 5 | |
| Marmota cf. flaviventris | 8 | |
| Urocitellus washingtoni | 5 | |
| "Spermophilus washingtoni" | ||
| Thomomys talpoides | 48 | |
| also 359 Thomomys sp. | ||
| Perognathus parvus | 158 | 21.8 g |
| Peromyscus maniculatus | 65 | 19.1 g |
| Microtus sp. | 64 | |
| also 202 "Microtinae" indet. | ||
| Neotoma cinerea | 5 | 240 g |
| also 8 Neotoma sp. | ||
| Neogale frenata | 2 | 144 g carnivore |
| "Mustela frenata" | ||
| Canis spp. | 2 | |
| "coyote/dog/wolf" | ||
| Lemmiscus curtatus | 6 | 30.3 g |
| Cervus canadensis | 1 | 329 kg browser-grazer |
| "Cervus elaphus (elk/wapiti)" | ||
| Odocoileus sp. | 1 | |
| Antilocapra americana | 1 | 51 kg |