Paleo-environmental reconstruction and bio-stratigraphy, Oklahoma Panhandle, USA

Worldwide, the period between 12,000 and 9000 radiocarbon years before present (RCYBP) witnessed the shift from glacial to post-glacial times and marks the transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene. On the southern Plains of North America this period is marked by rapidly changing climatic conditions, shifting flora and faunal associations, and cultural adaptations. A recently discovered locality along Bull Creek, Oklahoma Panhandle, provides the opportunity to study the environmental context of changing megafauna presence during this transition. The paleo-environment is reconstructed from sediment particle size distribution, stable carbon isotope, pollen, and phytolith analyses from the Bull Creek site, and compared with the megafaunal biostratigraphy in this area.