Geophysical analysis at the Old Whaling site, Cape Krusenstern, Alaska, reveals the possible impact of permafrost loss on archaeological interpretation

• Published in: Polar Research
• Main Authors: Christopher B. Wolff, Thomas M. Urban
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 2013
• Subjects: Cape Krusenstern; Old Whaling culture; geophysics; cryoturbation; archaeology; Alaska; Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Oceanography; GC1-1581; Giddings; permafrost; Polar Research
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v32i0.19888; https://doaj.org/article/af1efb0dd4224f2ea0e47df1cd161a08

The Old Whaling site at Cape Krusenstern, Alaska, has been the subject of contested interpretations stemming from an original theory proposed by J. Louis Giddings more than half a century ago. In an attempt to address recent suggestions that the occupational history is more complex than originally believed, the site was the subject of a non-invasive geophysical survey conducted by our team in 2011. The project served as a starting point for assessing the potential for archaeological remains at the site that had not been detected with previous investigations, and to gain a better understanding of site morphology. The investigation was implemented with two well-established geophysical methods, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and magnetic gradiometry. The survey revealed no unequivocal evidence of additional occupations as has been recently suggested, but did reveal a dynamic site morphology that may have implications for archaeological interpretation.