Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8914879 | Quaternary Science Reviews | 2018 | 13 Pages |
Abstract
Genomic studies indicate that the first Pleistocene foragers who entered North America diverged from ancestral populations in Beringia sometime after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM); however, several archaeological sites in North America have been proposed to predate the LGM. We present the results of our excavation and analysis of one such site, Coats-Hines-Litchy, Tennessee, which show that this site is a paleontological locality containing a geofact assemblage that pre-dates the LGM. Other sites in North America that purportedly predate the LGM occur in geomorphic contexts that are also conducive to the formation of geofact assemblages. As such, we propose that the reported artifacts from these sites were created by natural processes. No sites in North America currently provide credible evidence of a pre-LGM occupation.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Geology
Authors
Jesse W. Tune, Michael R. Waters, Kayla A. Schmalle, Larisa R.G. DeSantis, George D. Kamenov,