Site formation processes at the Buttermilk Creek Site (41bl1239), Bell County, Texas /

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Keene, Joshua L.
Other Authors: Waters, Michael R. (Thesis advisor)
Format: Thesis eBook
Language:English
Published: [College Station, Tex.] : [Texas A&M University], [2010]
Subjects:
Online Access:Link to OAK Trust copy

MARC

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100 1 |a Keene, Joshua L. 
245 1 0 |a Site formation processes at the Buttermilk Creek Site (41bl1239), Bell County, Texas /  |c by Joshua L. Keene. 
264 1 |a [College Station, Tex.] :  |b [Texas A&M University],  |c [2010] 
300 |a 1 online resource. 
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500 |a "Major Subject: Anthropology" 
500 |a Title from author supplied metadata (automated record created 2010-11-11 10:17:47). 
502 |b Master of Arts  |c Texas A&M University  |d 2009  |o http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2009-08-855 
504 |a Includes bibliographical references. 
516 |a Text (Thesis) 
520 3 |a The archaeological literature warns against trusting the context of artifacts found within a vertisol due to the constant mixing of sediments caused by the shrink/swell properties of clays. These churning processes were thought to be the defining characteristic of vertisols until only the past few decades. It is now apparent that vertisols vary drastically based on a wide spectrum of variables and are fully capable of forming without churning processes. The Buttermilk Creek Site, Block A represents a prime example of a minimally developed vertisol. In addition, the site itself is a heavily occupied lithic quarry that has been almost continuously inhabited since Clovis and possibly Pre-Clovis times. This thesis takes a detailed look at the sediments and distribution of lithic artifacts from Block A of the Buttermilk Creek site to address the two following research objectives: 1) to determine if the archaeological context within the floodplain sediments at Block A has been disturbed by post-depositional processes, and 2) to identify discrete occupation surfaces within the vertic floodplain sediments at the site. These objectives are addressed using a variety of methods, including: 1) plotting the stratigraphic position of diagnostic artifacts, 2) determining the size distribution of debitage and artifact quantities throughout the floodplain deposits, 3) examining the distribution of cultural versus non-cultural lithic material, 4) recording the presence or absence of heat alteration in the deposits, 5) creating maps showing the degree of fissuring across the site, 6) analyzing differences in patination on artifacts, and 7) analyzing the presence of calcium carbonate on artifacts from all levels. Results from these analyses show that, despite the classification of sediments at Block A as a vertisol, vertical displacement of artifacts is largely absent. Chronologically ordered diagnostic points, consistently size sorted artifacts, and a lack of constant mixing of calcium carbonate throughout the profile suggest that artifacts found as deep as 20 cm below the Clovis-aged horizon represent intact cultural horizons. These oldest components found in Block A may represent some of the earliest known evidence of people in the New World. 
500 |a Electronic resource. 
650 4 |a Major anthropology. 
653 |a slickenside 
653 |a pleistocene holocene transition 
653 |a pre-clovis 
653 |a gilgai 
653 |a pedoturbation 
653 |a vertisol 
653 |a folsom 
653 |a Buttermilk Creek 
653 |a edwards plateau 
653 |a geoarchaeology 
653 |a Clovis 
653 |a archaeology 
653 |a argilliturbation 
653 |a Gault 
653 |a angostura 
653 |a 41BL1239 
653 |a grumusol 
653 |a site formation 
653 |a lithics 
653 |a golondrina 
653 |a clay cracks 
653 |a size sorting 
700 1 |a Waters, Michael R.,  |e thesis advisor. 
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952 f f |a Texas A&M University  |b College Station  |c Electronic Resources  |d Available Online  |t 0  |e 2009 Thesis 1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2009-08-855  |h Other scheme 
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