Paleolandscape Reconstruction of Burleigh Bay, Ontario 12,600 cal BP to Present: Modeling Archaeological Site Potential for the Late Paleoindian and Early Archaic Period in a Lacustrine Shield Environment
- Date: Tuesday, June 18, 2019 - 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Building: Life & Health Sciences
Room: DNA C 228
"Paleolandscape Reconstruction of Burleigh Bay, Ontario 12,600 cal BP to Present: Modeling Archaeological Site Potential for the Late Paleoindian and Early Archaic Period in a Lacustrine Shield Environment"
Abstract: ThisthesispresentsapalaeotopographicreconstructionoftheBurleighBayregionofStony Lake (Kawartha Lakes Region, Ontario) from 12,600 cal BP to present. The paleotopographic reconstructions are used to model paleoshoreline locations and archaeological site potential for the Late Paleoindian and early Archaic periods. Isostatic rebound following the end of the last glacial period has altered the topography in the region and water levels are now artificially managed by dams constructed in the 1830s. I completed a highresolution bathymetric survey using a kayak equiped with a GPS coupled single-beam sonar. Utilizing GIS technology and isostatic rebound response surface models, I created paleotopographic reconstructions for 12,600 cal BP, 11,500 cal BP, 7,000 cal BP, 5,700 cal BP, and present. Results show that water levels in Burleigh Bay have been regressing over time until dam construction. Early site potential is centered in northern inland areas. Potentialfollowing7,000calBPisconcentratedinnorthernareasfloodedbythedam.Surveys in lacustrine granite shield regions that follow the Ontario Standards and Guidelines for Consultant Archaeologists risk missing areas of high archaeological potential for early sites in these environments. Paleolandscape reconstructions would alleviate this issue by modeling paleoshoreline changes over time.
Examining Committee:
Supervisor: James Conolly
Committee: Jennifer P. Moore (chair), Lisa Janz
External Examiner: Kimberly Monk (Trent University)
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Posted on June 11, 2019