Radiocarbon dates and late Quaternary vertebrates from cave deposits in the central Canadian Rocky Mountains

Abstract

New radiocarbon dates on biological remains from cave deposits in the Canadian Rocky Mountains range in age from infinite to modern but are largely restricted to the Holocene (9560±40 years B.P. to modern). The consistency in radiocarbon ages is interpreted as resulting from geologic processes associated with deglaciation and may reflect timeframes when cave conditions in some areas of the Canadian Rocky Mountains became suitable for deposition and preservation of biological remains. When considered at taxonomic levels permitted by morphological identification, recovered vertebrate remains from cave deposits are consistent with the modern biota of the region, suggesting early post-Late Glacial Maximum establishment of the modern biota and relative stability of mammal assemblages through the Holocene. Preliminary evaluation of recovered plant remains highlights a potentially underevaluated source of palaeoecological data for higher elevations.