TY - JOUR
T1 - Distribution of sites and radiocarbon dates in the Sierra Nevada
T2 - Implications for paleoecological prospecting
AU - Anderson, R. Scott
AU - Smith, Susan J.
AU - Koehler, Peter A.
PY - 1997
Y1 - 1997
N2 - The number of paleoecological records for the Sierra Nevada of California has increased substantially since the compilation of Adam (1985). We examine here the geographical and temporal distribution of records within the range in order to identify areas for which "gaps" exist in our paleoecological knowledge. Seventy-two sites with paleoecological information are identified; these sites are dated with 234 radiocarbon dates. Sites occur primarily between ca. 36°N and 38°30N latitudes, and from ca. 1000 m to over 3000 m elevation on both sides of the Sierran crest, although more sites have been analyzed on the west side of the crest than the east side. In general, packrat (Neotoma) midden series are located at the lowest elevations, meadow and marsh cores originate from mid-elevations, and lake sediments have been analyzed from the highest elevations. Significant gaps in our knowledge occur for much of the east side of the crest, for both sides of the range above modern trecline, and for time periods older than the latest Pleistocene.
AB - The number of paleoecological records for the Sierra Nevada of California has increased substantially since the compilation of Adam (1985). We examine here the geographical and temporal distribution of records within the range in order to identify areas for which "gaps" exist in our paleoecological knowledge. Seventy-two sites with paleoecological information are identified; these sites are dated with 234 radiocarbon dates. Sites occur primarily between ca. 36°N and 38°30N latitudes, and from ca. 1000 m to over 3000 m elevation on both sides of the Sierran crest, although more sites have been analyzed on the west side of the crest than the east side. In general, packrat (Neotoma) midden series are located at the lowest elevations, meadow and marsh cores originate from mid-elevations, and lake sediments have been analyzed from the highest elevations. Significant gaps in our knowledge occur for much of the east side of the crest, for both sides of the range above modern trecline, and for time periods older than the latest Pleistocene.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0031391559&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0031391559&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1017/s0033822200051973
DO - 10.1017/s0033822200051973
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0031391559
SN - 0033-8222
VL - 39
SP - 121
EP - 135
JO - Radiocarbon
JF - Radiocarbon
IS - 2
ER -