Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-06T07:58:43.320Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Groundwater Hypothesis for the Origin of “Fire Areas” on the Northern Channel Islands, California

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

John Cushing ,
Adrian M. Wenner ,
Elmer Noble  and
Marla Daily
John Cushing
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106 Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta Del Sol Road, Santa Barbara, California 93105
Adrian M. Wenner
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106 Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta Del Sol Road, Santa Barbara, California 93105
Elmer Noble
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
Marla Daily
Affiliation:
Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta Del Sol Road, Santa Barbara, California 93105
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Pleistocene areas of red sediments and carbonized vegetation on the Northern Channel Islands, California, have in the past been interpreted as caused by fires of either natural or human origin. Some are associated with darkened mammoth and bird fossils, and these fossils have been considered as having been burned by early man. Reevaluation of these so-called “fire areas” indicates that the above phenomena are the result of low-temperature (≤100°C), nonheating processes occurring in groundwater. Evidence for this conclusion is derived from field observations on fossil carbonized vegetation, and the geology of the areas. Additional evidence derives from experiments on the red sediments and fossil wood, X-ray diffraction analyses, magnetic analyses, studies on the clay minerals smectite and illite, and the demonstration that fossil mammoth bone contains sufficient Fe and Mn to account for their discoloration. Much of the carbonization of vegetation probably occurred in water rather than in fire. Radiocarbon dates from the islands will probably need to be reevaluated. These data provide evidence contrary to the concept of the occurrence of significant fires, either natural or set by early man, on the Northern Channel Islands.

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , September 1986 , pp. 207 - 217
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Berger, R.(1980).Early man on Santa Rosa Island Power, D.M. The California Islands: Proceedings of a Multidisciplinary Symposium Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Santa Barbara, Calif 73 78 Google Scholar
Berger, R.(1982).The Woolley mammoth site, Santa Rosa Island, California Erickson, J.E. Taylor, R.E. Berger, R. Peopling of the New World. Anthropological Papers No. 23. Ballena Press Los Altos, Calif 163 170 Google Scholar
Carroll, D.(1970).Clay Minerals: A Guide to Their Identification 1 80 Geological Society of America Special Paper 126Google Scholar
Carter, G.F.(1980).Earlier Than You Think Texas A&M Univ. Press College Station Google Scholar
Chaney, R.W. Mason, H.L.(1934).A Pleistocene Flora from Santa Cruz Island, California Carnegie Institution of Washington 1 24 Contributions to Paleontology, Studies of the Pleistocene Paleobotany of CaliforniaGoogle Scholar
Coe, M.(1980).The role of modern ecological studies in the reconstruction of paleoenvironments in sub-Saharan Africa Behrensmeyer, A.K. Hill, A.P. Fossils in the Making Univ. of Chicago Press Chicago/London 55 67 Google Scholar
Cook, S.F.(1964).The nature of charcoal excavated at archeological sites American Antiquity 29 514 517 Google Scholar
Cushing, J. Daily, M. Noble, E. Roth, V.L. Wenner, A.(1984).Fossil mammoths from Santa Cruz Island, California Quaternary Research 21 376 384 Google Scholar
Dorn, R.I. DeNiro, (1985).Stable carbon isotope ratios of rock varnish organic matter: A new paleoenvironmental indicator Science 227 1472 1474 Google Scholar
Ford, H.C.(1900).Solfataras in the vicinity of Santa Barbara Bulletin of the Santa Barbara Society [sic] of Natural History 1 2 53 56 Google Scholar
Gillespie, R.H.(1985).12th International Radiocarbon Conference Mammoth Trumpet 2 8 Google Scholar
Gillespie, R.H. Hedges, R.E.M. Humm, M.J.(1985).Routine AMS dating of bone and shell proteins 12th International Radiocarbon Conference Trondheim Radiocarbon in pressGoogle Scholar
Gladfelter, B.G.(1985).On the interpretation of archaeological sites in alluvial settings Stein, J.K. Farrand, W.R. Archaeological Sediments in Context Peopling of the Americas Vol. 1 Center for the Study of Early Man, University of Maine Orono 41 52 Google Scholar
Guthrie, R.D.(1984).The evidence of middle-Wisconsin peopling of Beringa: An evaluation Quaternary Research 22 231 241 Google Scholar
Johnson, D.L.(1983).The California Continental Borderland: Landbridges, watergaps and biotic dispersals Masters, P.M. Flemming, N.C. Quaternary Coastlines and Marine Archeology Academic Press London/Orlando 481 527 Google Scholar
Liu, C.L. Coleman, D.D.(1981).Illinois State Geological Survey Radiocarbon Data VII Radiocarbon 23 352 383 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MacNeish, R.S.(1982).A late commentary on an early subject Erikson, J.E. Taylor, R.E. Berger, R. Peopling of the New World Ballena Press Los Altos, Calif 311 315 Google Scholar
Mead, J.I. Meltzer, D.J.(1984).North American late Quaternary extinctions and the radiocarbon record Martin, P.S. Klein, R.G. Quaternary Extinctions Univ. of Arizona Press Tucson 440 450 Google Scholar
Muhs, D.R.(1982).A soil chronosequence on Quaternary marine terraces, San Clemente, California Geoderma 28 257 283 Google Scholar
Mustoe, G.E.(1981).Bacterial oxidation of manganese and iron in a modern cold spring Geological Society of America Bulletin 92 147 153 Google Scholar
Oakley, L.(1956).The earliest fire makers Antiquity 30 102 107 Google Scholar
Orr, P.C.(1968).Prehistory of Santa Rosa Island Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Santa Barbara, Calif Google Scholar
Orr, P.C. Berger, R.(1966).The fire areas on Santa Rosa Island, California, I Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences USA 56 1409 1416 Google Scholar
Riddell, F.A.(1969).Pleistocene faunal remains associated with carbonaceous material American Antiquity 34 177 181 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roth, V.L.(1982).Dwarf Mammoths from the Santa Barbara California Channel Islands: Size, Shape, Development and Evolution Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation Yale University New Haven, Conn Google Scholar
Shipman, P. Foster, G. Schoeninger, (1984).Burnt bones and teeth: An experimental study of color, morphology, crystal structure and shrinkage Journal of Archaeological Science 11 307 325 Google Scholar
Shutler, R.(1967).Archeology of Tule Springs Wormington, H.M. Ellis, D. Pleistocene Studies in Southern Nevada. Nevada State Museum Anthropological Papers.298 303 No. 13Google Scholar
Stuckenrath, R.(1977).Some notes from Merlin's diary Nenewman, W. Salwen, B. Amerids and Their Paleoenvironments in Northeastern North America. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 288 181 188 Google Scholar
Wendorf, M.(1982).The fire areas of Santa Rosa Island: An interpretation North American Archeologist 3 173 180 Google Scholar