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Geoarchaeology of the Midland (Paleoindian) Site, Texas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Vance T. Holliday  and
David J. Meltzer
Vance T. Holliday
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, 550 North Park Street, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706
David J. Meltzer
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275
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Abstract

In 1953 human remains and a new type of Paleoindian artifact were discovered eroding from a "blowout" in a small dune field along Monahans Draw, near Midland, Texas, on the Southern High Plains. The projectile points became the type “Midland” collection. Stratigraphy, radiometric dating, paleontology, and geochemistry suggested that the artifacts and bones dated to at least 10,000 B.P. and that the human remains were possibly as old as 20,000 B.P. The researchers believed that the human bones were from below a red sand that in turn was below a Folsom occupation. The dating of the human remains has long been problematic, however, and recent attempts to apply U-series dating further confuse the story. Geoarchaeological investigations were carried out at the site from 1989 to 1992 to reevaluate the geochronology, with particular reference to the age of the skeletal material. We reach several conclusions: (1) there are two Red Sands; (2) the human remains are from below the upper Red Sand, but the Folsom material is from above the lower Red Sand and, therefore, the Red Sand stratigraphy is not relevant to the age of the human remains; (3) the human remains were associated with the valley-margin facies of a lacustrine carbonate that is well dated in the region and rarely is > 10,000 B.P.; and (4) all numerical dating methods applied at the site produced unreliable results. We find no compelling evidence that the human remains from the Midland site are older than Folsom age; they may be contemporary with or younger than the Folsom occupation.

Resumen

Resumen

En 1953 restos humanos y un nuevo tipo de artefactos paleoindios fueron descubiertos en una superficie de deflación en un pequeño campo de dunas en Monahans Draw, cerca de Midland, Texas, en los Grandes Llanos del Sur. Las puntas de proyectil se conocerían como la colección tipo “Midland.” La estratigrafía, los fechados radiométricos, la paleotología, y la geoquímica sugirieron que los artefactos y huesos se remontaron a cuanto menos 10.000 a. P. y que los restos humanos posiblemente tuvieron una antigüedad de casi 20.000 a.P. Una pieza clave de evidencia fue la interpretacion de que los restos humanos estaban localizados estratigraficamente bajo una capa de arena roja, la que a su vez se encontraba debajo de un sitio Folsom. Sin embargo, el fechado de los restos humanos ha sido problemdtico por largo tiempo; recientes intentos de emplear series de uranio (U-series) no han hecho sino complicar la historia. Investigaciones geoarqueologícas fueron llevadas a caboen el sitio entre 1989 y 1992 a fin de reevaluar la geocronología, con particular atención a la edad del material óseo. Hemos llegado a varias conclusiones: (1) existen dos Arenas Rojas; (2) los restos humanos provienen de debajo de la capa de Arena Roja superior, pero el material Folsom se halla encima de la Arena Roja inferior y, por tanto, la estratigrafia de la Arena Roja no es relevante a la edad de los restos humanos; (3) los restos humanos han sido asociados con la fades del margen del valle de un carbonato lacustre ampliamente fechado en la región y que raramente es > 10.000 a.P.; y (4) todos los métodos de fechado numérico empleados en el sitio produjeron resultados poco confiables. No hemos hallado evidencia fehaciente de que los restos del sitio de Midland antecedan a lafase Folsom; quizás sean contemporáneos con, o más recientes que, la ocupación Folsom.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 61 , Issue 4 , October 1996 , pp. 755 - 771
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1996

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