SGER: Paleobiology and Biogeography of the Kurile Archipelago

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DEB-9910410This project is designed to survey and test recently discovered archeological sites on Onekotan Island, Russia, in the northern Kuril Island archipelago. In 1996, NSF- supported biologists surveying the biodiversity of the archipelago found this site in a short and deeply incise stream valley a few hundred meters from the current shoreline. Detailed analysis of field photographs and remote sensing indicates that these may be Ainu in origin, and date from the early-to mid-Holocene. The current biological composition of the Kuril Archipelago is the product of a long biogeographic history, and humans are expected to have played a significant role in this history as competitors and predators. Archeological deposits also have the potential to preserve evidence of prehistoric flora and fauna that have been extirpated or gone extinct. Two concurrent teams will systematically map and sample the Onekotan site in a first attempt to document the human and paleo-ecological history of the site and surroundings, the spatial organization of structures, and the local ecology and geology and geomorphology. In addition, a second team will conduct a lower resolution archeological and geomorphological survey of the surrounding islands to generate contextual information about the broader settlement and biological impact of the Ainu. This project is supported under the guidelines of the Small Grants for Exploratory Research program.