Spring/Summer 1999
Close attention to detail at Mink Island has resulted in several intriguing discoveries. Over eighty percent of the disarticulated bivalve shells recovered (N=352) are right valves as opposed to left. Anatomical symmetry of both halves seem to preclude taphonic explanations for the suggesting answers are to be found elsewhere. The inhabitants of the site relied heavily upon marine resources as evidenced by this whale vertebra and the large quantity of shellfish visible in the stratigraphic profile.	Location of the Mink Island Archaeological Project (49-XMK-030). MINK ISLAND, ALASKA Site Formation Processes on the Coast of Alaska Studying the natural processes that have shaped the archaeological changing physical environment. By Mike Hilton THE ALASKA PENINSULA IS CONTINUALLY ARE REGULARLY INCORPORATED INTO archaeological survey, but inadequate consideration is given to the full range of site formation processes when systematic excavation is conducted. As a result, significant data are overlooked. I hope to reverse this trend by demonstrating that more finely tuned field methods will reveal further data related to both the inhabitants' lifeways and the region's paleoecology. The past two summers I have supervised excavation of the younger locus at a multicomponent site off the coast of the Katmai National Park and Preserve on the northern Alaska Peninsula (see map). The Mink Island site was occupied intermittently for the past 7200 calendar years. Confined between the ice-capped Aleutian Mountain Range (7300 ft.) and the often-turbulent waters of the Gulf of Alaska, the maritime inhabitants of the northern Alaska Peninsula were limited to a narrow coastal corridor for their subsistence needs. Marine resources are believed to have been plentiful, but the constantly changing landscape presented logistical challenges. Close attention to detail at Mink Island has resulted in several intriguing discoveries. Over eighty percent of the disarticulated bivalve shells recovered (N=352) are right valves as opposed to left. Anatomical symmetry of both halves seem to preclude taphonomic explanations for the pattern, suggesting answers are to be found elsewhere. I am currently pursuing the hypothesis that the pattern is a result of processing techniques (that is, cultural behavior) utilized at the site. Excellent organic preservation is facilitating study of both site formation and paleoecological issues. Very thin (¾1 cm) repeating sequences of mussel, fish bone, and sea urchin have been identified in several excavation units. These thin laminae have accumulated to depths of 1.2 meters. Careful stratigraphic analysis in this area is providing clues to behavioral strategies employed in the collection, processing, and consumption of food resources. To help distinguish the relative contribution of cultural and noncultural processes in archaeological sediments, I will soon be coordinating an interdisciplinary project aimed at recovering off-site data. A stratigraphic profile of a nearby peat deposit, approximately 2.5 meters in depth, was illustrated in 1993 by researchers conducting coastal investigations related to the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The profile documents eight separate volcanic events. A limiting age of 11,160 ± 370 BP (GX-17270) was obtained from the base of the peat deposit. This project will be an interdisciplinary effort to recover more paleoenvironmental data from the same location. Our team will extract a core sample which will be analyzed for fossil pollen, macrofossil, and petrographic content. Studies have shown that certain marine species respond to climatic perturbations. The faunal assemblage from Mink Island will be compared with the paleoenvironmental data recovered from this project in an attempt to identify correlations. The results will be of interest to scientists in archaeology, coastal geomorphology, glaciology, paleoclimatology, and volcanology. Freeze-thaw cycles in northerly latitudes may dislocate both surface and subsurface cultural deposits. Specific data on the scope of disturbance, however, are limited. At a nearby archaeological site, freeze-thaw cycles have sorted gravels by size into meandering stripes. An experiment will measure the effects of this phenomenon on the archaeological record. Objects of various sizes and shapes will be positioned both above and below the ground surface. The exact provenience and orientation of each object will be referenced to a local datum. An electronic data logger will record both air and subsurface ground temperature throughout the winter. The following summer the objects will be excavated and proveniences compared. The Mink Island site contains both the stratigraphic framework and temporal depth to further elucidate site formation processes. The methodology employed and data recovered will reveal some of the cultural and noncultural processes responsible for the archaeological record. Mink Island site and field camp. Days later a large portion of the camp was blown into the intertidal zone as a result of a late summer storm. Mike Hilton (shown in photo below left) is a student in the Archaeology Program. He thanks his supporters both past and present. Without the generous assistance of the Friends of Archaeology and the University Research Expeditions Program, a significant portion of this research would not be possible. Like all Backdirt authors, he can be reached through the Publications email address (ioapubs@ucla.edu).
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