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A Revised Chronology for the Last Pleistocene Lake Cycle in the Central Lahontan Basin

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Robert S. Thompson
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912-1846 USA
Larry Benson
Affiliation:
U.S. Geological Survey, P.O. Box 25046, M.S. 403, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225 USA
Eugene M. Hattori
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Nevada State Museum, Capitol Complex, Carson City, Nevada 89710 USA

Abstract

Radiocarbon dates of plant materials from packrat middens in caves below the elevation of the last high stand of Pleistocene Lake Lahontan, in conjunction with radiocarbon dates of ancient archaeological materials, provide evidence that the last high stand terminated before 12,070 yr B.P. This new information suggests that the last major fluctuation in the level of Lake Lahontan was approximately synchronous with those of Lakes Bonneville and Russell, and that these three lakes probably responded contemporaneously to the same regional paleoclimatic changes.

Type
Original Articles
Copyright
University of Washington

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