Late Wisconsinan Port Eliza Cave deposits and their implications for human coastal migration, Vancouver Island, Canada

• Published in: Geoarchaeology
• Main Authors: Al‐Suwaidi, M., Ward, B.C., Wilson, M.C., Hebda, R.J., Nagorsen, D.W., Marshall, D., Ghaleb, B., Wigen, R.J., Enkin, R.J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2006
• Subjects: Canada; Tundra
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/gea.20106; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fgea.20106; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/gea.20106

Abstract Sediments of Port Eliza Cave provide a record of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) on Vancouver Island that has important implications for human migration along the debated coastal migration route. Lithofacies changes from nonglacial diamict to glacial laminated silt and clay and till, then a return to nonglacial conditions with oxidized clay, colluvial block beds, and speleothems, along with radiocarbon and U/Th dates, define glacial–nonglacial transitions. Scanning electron microscope studies and clay mineralogy confirm that the laminated fines represent glaciation. Preglacial faunal evidence shows a diverse range from small species, including birds, fish, vole, and marmot, to larger species, such as mountain goat. Pollen data from the same unit show a cold, dry tundra environment with sparse trees. Deglaciation occurred prior to an age of 12.3 ka B.P. based on dated mountain goat bone. These data support the viability of the coastal migration route for humans prior to ˜16 ka B.P. and then as early as ˜13 ka B.P. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.