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The La Prele Mammoth site (48CO1401), located in Converse County, Wyoming, contains a Clovis-age occupation associated with the remains of a subadult mammoth (Mammuthus columbi). In this paper, we present the geochronological and geoarchaeological context of the site. The La Prele Mammoth site is buried in an alluvial terrace of La Prele Creek, a tributary of the North Platte River, which acts as an important migration corridor through the Rocky Mountains. Archaeological remains, buried by a series of flood deposits, occur within or below a well-developed buried A horizon, referred to as the Mammoth Soil. Bioturbation of the site has resulted in vertical artifact movement, though peaks in artifact density are evident in vertical artifact distributions and likely represent the occupation surface. Radiocarbon dating of this occupation, including several new dates, suggests an age of 12,941 ± 56 calendar years ago (cal yr BP).
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This content will become publicly available on July 19, 2025
Estimating the Size and Density of the La Prele Site: Implications for Early Paleoindian Group Size
The La Prele site (ca. 12,940 cal BP) is a deeply buried, single-component mammoth kill and campsite in Wyoming (USA). The site was discovered eroding from a creek bank 3 m deep within a 7-m tall terrace scarp, and prior investigations have primarily focused on excavations accessible from the creek bank, using heavy machinery to remove sterile overburden to access the deeply buried deposits. This approach has allowed excavations to occur safely outside of deep pits, but it has limited our ability to assess the total size and density of the site. To determine total site extent, we conducted systematic bucket auger testing of the La Prele site terrace, attempting 189 augers between 1.6 m and 6.2 m deep across the landform. We use a simulation and other mathematical procedures to infer artifact density from auger artifact counts and interpolate artifact densities across the site using GIS. We determine that La Prele is around 4500 m2 in area and likely contains a buried bison bonebed and two additional artifact concentrations comparable to or exceeding the size and density of previously excavated areas. We use these insights to infer Early Paleoindian group size, concluding that around 30 people occupied La Prele.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1947297
- PAR ID:
- 10544211
- Publisher / Repository:
- Springer
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory
- ISSN:
- 1072-5369
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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