Resurrecting beach ridge archaeology: Parallel depositional records from St. Lawrence Island and Cape Krusenstern, Western Alaska

Abstract

AbstractArchaeological sites on gravel beach ridge plains offer a treacherously facile method of reconstructing cultural chronology based on the assumption that settlements were preferentially situated nearest the sea. the initial phase of beach ridge methodology in Alaska dates from its 1930s use by Henry Collins at St. Lawrence Island and its 1950s use by Louis Giddings in Kotzebue Sound. Numerous questions of cultural and depositional chronology remain unresolved. At Gambell, on St. Lawrence Island, three sets of ridges span the period since about 2000 B.P., with a prominent disconformity after Punuk culture times at ca. 1100 B.P. Reviewing the 14C dates (n = 83) we find that the Gambell sequence (n = 50) broadly parallels that of Kotzebue Sound, especially in the similar erosional disconformity at 1200‐1000 B.P., related to increased storminess in the North Pacific. the Cape Krusenstern sequence is only loosely constrained by 14C dates (n = 33) disproportionately concentrated on 7 of the 114 ridge fragments. the dating of early Choris culture is especially problematic, which seems to occur both before and after the Old Whaling culture, well‐dated at 2900‐2800 B.P. on the 53rd ridge. However, reanalyzing the depositional sequence, we find that some of the more easterly Choris ridges probably represent erosional events after the Old Whaling occupation.