Terminal Pleistocene/early Holocene environmental change at the sunshine locality, north-central Nevada, USA

Sedimentological, faunal, and archaeological investigations at the Sunshine Locality, Long Valley, Nevada reveal a history of human adaptation and env ironmental change at the last glacial-interglacial transition in North Amer ica's north-central Great Basin. The locality contains a suite of lacustrin e, alluvial, and eolian deposits associated with fluvially reworked faunal remains and Paleoindian artifacts. Radiocarbon-dated stratigraphy indicates a history of receding pluvial lake levels followed by alluvial down-cuttin g and subsequent valley filling with marsh-like conditions at the end of th e Pleistocene. A period of alluvial deposition and shallow water tables (9, 800 to 11,000 C-14 yr B.P.) correlates to the Younger Dryas. Subsequent dri er conditions and reduced surface runoff mark the early Holocene; sand dune s replace wetlands by 8,000 C-14 Yr B.P. The stratigraphy at Sunshine is si milar to sites located 400 km south and supports regional climatic synchron eity in the central and southern Great Basin during the terminal Pleistocen e/early Holocene, Given regional climate change and recurrent geomorphic se ttings comparable to Sunshine, we believe that there is a high potential fo r buried Paleoindian features in primary association with extinct fauna els ewhere in the region yet to be discovered due to limited stratigraphic expo sure and consequent low visibility. (C) 2001 University of Washington.