Late Pleistocene and early Holocene lake-level fluctuations in the Lahontan basin, Nevada: Implications for the distribution of archaeological sites

The Great Basin oft,he western U.S. contains a rich record of late Pleistocene and Holocene lake-level fluctuations as well as an extensive record Of human Occupation during the same time frame. We compare spatial-temporal relationships between these records in the Lahontan basin to consider whether lake-level fluctutiations across the Pleistocene-Holocene, transition controlled distribution Of archaeological sites. We use die reasonably well-dated archaeological record from caves and rockshelters as well as results front new pedestrian surveys to investigate this problem. Although lake levels probably reached maximum elevations of about 1230-1235 m in die different subbasins of Lahontan during the Younger Dryas (YD) period, die duration that the lakes occupied the highest levels wads brief. Paleoindian and early Archaic archaeological sites are concentrated on somewhat, lower and slightly younger shorelines (similar to 1220-1225 m) that also date front the Younger Dryas period. This study suggests that, Paleoindians often concentrated their activities adjacent, to large lakes anti wetland resources soon after they first entered the Great Basin. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.