Bristlecone pine paleoclimatic model for archeological patterns in the White Mountain of California

Abstract

Archeologists recognize that prehistoric human populations were a significant variable in the operation of past California ecosystem processes, and that a changing environment created constraints and opportunities for prehistoric cultural adaptation. The tie between paleoclimatology and archeology is an evolving interdisciplinary field of study that aims to facilitate a better understanding of prehistoric subsistence-settlement patterns relative to climate variability. A paleoclimatic model based on temperature inferences and precipitation reconstruction from tree-ring widths of bristlecone pine in the White Mountains of California is used to explain the distribution of prehistoric alpine villages in the White Mountains. The paleoclimatic model is visually and statistically compared with calendar ages converted from calibrated 14C dates from the village sites. Results elucidate the role of water availability in the frequency and intensity of settlement, as 88% of the calendar dates associated with 14C dates fall within wet periods ( α=0.05, p=0.005). The coincidence of the calendar dates around above average precipitation periods confirms that long-term available resources are contingent on the availability of moisture, the key to life in the desert environment.