New records and AMS radiocarbon dates on Quaternary Walrus ( Odobenus Rosmarus ) from New Brunswick

Walrus fossils are occasionally recovered during scallop dragging in the Bay of Fundy and from sand and gravel deposits along the coastline of New Brunswick in eastern Canada. Six new fossils and four new AMS radiocarbon dates significantly increase the information concerning late-glacial to postgla...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Géographie physique et Quaternaire
Main Author: Miller, Randall F.
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Les Presses de l'Université de Montréal 1997
Subjects:
Online Access:http://id.erudit.org/iderudit/004852ar
https://doi.org/10.7202/004852ar
Description
Summary:Walrus fossils are occasionally recovered during scallop dragging in the Bay of Fundy and from sand and gravel deposits along the coastline of New Brunswick in eastern Canada. Six new fossils and four new AMS radiocarbon dates significantly increase the information concerning late-glacial to postglacial walrus in New Brunswick. Dates range from about 12 800 BP to 2 900 BP, almost half falling between 9 000 and 10 000 BP. Temporal distribution of walrus, compared to estimates of past summer sea surface temperature, suggest that in the Bay of Fundy walrus occurred in waters ranging from 12 to 15° C. La pêche aux pétoncles dans la baie de Fundy permet parfois de récupérer des fossiles de morse. Ainsi, six nouveaux fossiles et quatre nouvelles datations viennent enrichir les connaissances sur le morse qui vivait du Tardiglaciaire au Postglaciaire. Les dates se situent entre 12 800 et 2900 BP, la majorité entre 9 000 et 10 000 BP. La répartition temporelle du morse, ainsi que les estimations des températures estivales passées de la surface marine indiquent que le morse de la baie de Fundy vivait dans des eaux dont les températures variaient entre 12 et 15° C.