The age and taphonomy of mammoths at Lovewell Reservoir, Jewell County, Kansas, USA

Remains of five mammoths have been excavated along the north shore of Lovewell Reservoir on White Rock Creek, Jewell County, Kansas. Two additional mammoths have been recorded as surface finds. These seven mammoths are clustered within a distance of 2 km and are contained within sediments dating to the transition from terminal mid Wisconsin to Last Glacial Maximum. This density of single adult mammoth death sites is uncommon elsewhere on the central Great Plains of North America. Radiocarbon ages from bone and decalcified organic carbon indicate the mammoths date between about 18,000 and 21,000 rcybp. A discussion of the stratigraphy, ages and taphonomy for the five excavated mammoth localities is presented including new taphonomic data collected from the Lovewell Mammoth Site (14JW306) during the 2004 excavation. New data indicate that the Lovewell Mammoth Site contains three mammoths where as previously only one mammoth was reported [Holen, S.R., 2006. Taphonomy of two last glacial maximum mammoth sites in the central Great Plains of North America: a preliminary report on La Sena and Lovewell. Quaternary International 142–143, 30–43]. Results presented here support the earlier taphonomic interpretation that humans were present on the central Great Plains during the Last Glacial Maximum.