.2022 Apr 20;17(4):e0264092.

doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264092. eCollection 2022.

Late date of human arrival to North America: Continental scale differences in stratigraphic integrity of pre-13,000 BP archaeological sites

Todd A Surovell¹, Sarah A Allaun¹, Barbara A Crass², Joseph A M Gingerich^{3 4}, Kelly E Graf⁵, Charles E Holmes⁶, Robert L Kelly¹, Marcel Kornfeld¹, Kathryn E Krasinski⁷, Mary Lou Larson¹, Spencer R Pelton⁸, Brian T Wygal⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anthropology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America.
² Museum of the North, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States of America.
³ Department of Anthropology, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, United States of America.
⁴ Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., United States of America.
⁵ Center for the Study of the First Americans, Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America.
⁶ Department of Anthropology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States of America.
⁷ Department of Anthropology, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York, United States of America.
⁸ Office of the Wyoming State Archaeologist, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America.

PMID:35442993
PMCID: PMC9020715
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264092

Late date of human arrival to North America: Continental scale differences in stratigraphic integrity of pre-13,000 BP archaeological sites

Todd A Surovell et al. PLoS One.2022.

.2022 Apr 20;17(4):e0264092.

doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264092. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anthropology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America.
² Museum of the North, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States of America.
³ Department of Anthropology, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, United States of America.
⁴ Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., United States of America.
⁵ Center for the Study of the First Americans, Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America.
⁶ Department of Anthropology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States of America.
⁷ Department of Anthropology, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York, United States of America.
⁸ Office of the Wyoming State Archaeologist, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America.

PMID:35442993
PMCID: PMC9020715
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264092

Erratum in

Correction: Late date of human arrival to North America: Continental scale differences in stratigraphic integrity of pre-13,000 BP archaeological sites.
Surovell TA, Allaun SA, Crass BA, Gingerich JAM, Graf KE, Holmes CE, Kelly RL, Kornfeld M, Krasinski KE, Larson ML, Pelton SR, Wygal BT.Surovell TA, et al.PLoS One. 2024 Jul 24;19(7):e0307979. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0307979. eCollection 2024.PLoS One. 2024.PMID:39046995Free PMC article.

Abstract

By 13,000 BP human populations were present across North America, but the exact date of arrival to the continent, especially areas south of the continental ice sheets, remains unclear. Here we examine patterns in the stratigraphic integrity of early North American sites to gain insight into the timing of first colonization. We begin by modeling stratigraphic mixing of multicomponent archaeological sites to identify signatures of stratigraphic integrity in vertical artifact distributions. From those simulations, we develop a statistic we call the Apparent Stratigraphic Integrity Index (ASI), which we apply to pre- and post-13,000 BP archaeological sites north and south of the continental ice sheets. We find that multiple early Beringian sites dating between 13,000 and 14,200 BP show excellent stratigraphic integrity. Clear signs of discrete and minimally disturbed archaeological components do not appear south of the ice sheets until the Clovis period. These results provide support for a relatively late date of human arrival to the Americas.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1. Simulations of stratigraphic mixing of a multicomponent archaeological site shown as backplots (left) and histograms of artifact elevation (right) while varying the maximum rate of artifact dispersal (r_max).
Horizontal black lines on backplots show the original stratigraphic position of occupations before post-depositional disturbance. (a&b) r_max = 0.1 mm/yr. (c&d) r_max = 0.5 mm/yr. (e&f) r_max = 1.0 mm/yr. (g&h) r_max = 3.0 mm/yr.

**Fig 2. The relationship between simulated rates of artifact dispersal (r_max) and the apparent age of the deepest artifact.**
Dashed line shows the age of the initial occupation at 12,500 BP.

**Fig 3. ASI values for six simulated artifact distributions from no mixing (a) to severe mixing (f).**

**Fig 4. Map of sites used in this study.**
(1) Dry Creek and Owl Ridge, (2) Holzman South, Swan Point, and Broken Mammoth, (3) Cooper’s Ferry, (4) Alm Shelter; (5) Helen Lookingbill; (6) Hell Gap; (7) Gault and Debra L. Friedkin, (8) Shawnee-Minisink. Light blue polygons show the estimated extent of the continental ice sheets at 14,900 BP from Dalton et al. [57]. Digital elevation model of North America is from the USGS Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Dataset [58].

**Fig 5. Backplots and/or vertical density histograms for all pre-13,000 BP archaeological sites in the study.**

**Fig 6. ASI values for all pre- and post-13,000 BP sites in the study.**

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

1. Anderson DG, Miller DS, Yerka SJ, Gillam JC, Johanson EN, Anderson DT, et al. PIDBA (Paleoindian Database of the Americas) 2010: current status and findings. Archaeology of Eastern North America. 2010; 63–89.
1. Anderson DG, Echeverry D, Miller DS, White AA, Yerka SJ, Kansa E, et al. Paleoindian settlement in the Southeastern United States: the role of large databases. In: Thulman D, Garrison I, editors. Early Floridians: new directions in the search for and interpretation of Florida’s earliest inhabitants. Gainesville: University Press of Florida; 2019. pp. 241–275.
1. Haynes G. The Early Settlement of North America: The Clovis Era. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2002.
1. Waters MR, Stafford TW Jr. Redefining the age of Clovis: Implications for the peopling of the Americas. Science. 2007;315: 1122–1126. doi: 10.1126/science.1137166 - DOI - PubMed
1. Waters MR, Stafford TW, Carlson DL. The age of Clovis—13,050 to 12,750 cal yr BP. Science Advances. 2020;6: eaaz0455. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz0455 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

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Late date of human arrival to North America: Continental scale differences in stratigraphic integrity of pre-13,000 BP archaeological sites

Affiliations

Late date of human arrival to North America: Continental scale differences in stratigraphic integrity of pre-13,000 BP archaeological sites

Authors

Affiliations

Erratum in

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Miscellaneous