Micromorphological analysis of sediments from Meadowcroft Rockshelter, Pennsylvania: Implications for radiocarbon dating

Meadowcroft Rockshelter (36Wh297), in Pennsylvania, is an important site in North American prehistory because of its long, continuous sequence of occu pation and its controversial pre-Clovis dates. While a geoarchaeological an alysis of the site has been conducted over twelve seasons of excavation bet ween 1973 and 1999, questions have remained concerning the potential for gr oundwater contamination of the lowest levels that could have contributed to falsely early radiocarbon dates. The present study employs a micromorpholo gical analysis of sediments to clarify the depositional and post-deposition al history of the site. The results largely confirm the original work of th e excavators, pointing to deposition by attrition, roof fall, and sheet was h, and reveal no evidence of groundwater contamination of the early levels.