RAPID: Retrieving the Late Pleistocene/Holocene Archaeology Record at the Carpenter Mining Quarry, Interior Alaska

阿拉斯加内陆的分层考古遗址对于了解白令吉亚和美洲的人口至关重要。这项快速反应研究涉及挖掘和恢复阿拉斯加内陆一个多组分遗址的考古、地质和古生态数据，该遗址面临着迫在眉睫的破坏危险。该遗址的年代可追溯到晚更新世和全新世早期，位于一个突出的地形上，含有几个时期的岩石和保存完好的有机物质。XBD-00456遗址的位置、地层和保存程度为科学家们提供了前所未有的见解，让他们了解古代人类对从苔原到北方森林的生态系统转变的适应性。XBD-00456遗址将按照任意级别进行系统挖掘，以记录遗址的文化、环境和沉积历史。将根据专业考古标准收集和分析石器和骨骼文物、碳和土壤样本。地质考古数据将为古生态重建提供信息，而石器文物将接受XRF分析，以表征其化学成分。这些材料将在阿拉斯加进行策划，供研究人员和后代社区成员将来研究。结果将通过会议报告、期刊文章和后代社区传播。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Stratified archaeological sites in interior Alaska are critical to understanding the peopling of Beringia and the Americas. This rapid-response research involves the excavation and recovery of archaeological, geological, and paleoecological data from a multicomponent site in interior Alaska that is in imminent danger of destruction. Dating to the Late Pleistocene and early Holocene and located on a prominent landform, the site contains lithics and well-preserved organic materials from several time periods. The site’s location, stratification, and degree of preservation offer scientists unparalleled insights on ancient human adaptations to an ecosystem shifting from tundra to boreal forest.Site XBD-00456 will be systematically excavated by arbitrary levels to document the cultural, environmental, and depositional history of the site. Lithic and bone artifacts, carbon and soil samples will be collected and analyzed according to professional archaeological standards. Geoarchaeological data will inform paleoecological reconstruction, while lithic artifacts will undergo XRF analysis to characterize their chemical composition. Recovered materials will be curated in Alaska and accessible for future study by researchers and descendant community members. Results will be disseminated via conference presentations, journal articles, and to descendant communities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.