The Late Pleistocene geoarchaeology and geology of Parsons Island, Maryland

Abstract

Geophysical, geological, archaeological and geochronological data from Parsons Island in eastern Maryland are used to help develop a framework for interpreting the Late Pleistocene upland stratigraphy in the western Delmarva Peninsula and adjacent islands. Like similar nearby studies, our results indicate that presence of the Miles Point Loess (41 to 25 kyr BP) and a relatively uniform terminal-Pleistocene loess (Paw Paw), deposited prior to the Early Archaic archaeological period. Clovis-aged and likely older artifacts (i.e., > 13.2 kyr BP) provide chronological control at the site and suggest there were multiple human occupations that spanned the current width of the island. Overall, the collection of data at this site is more complete than similarly aged sites in the region and delivers a hereto unparalleled framework for interpreting similar Delmarva locales with similar aged, but less complete stratigraphy. Because Parsons Island is heavily threatened by ongoing erosion and sea-level rise, the data presented herein provides an important record of Late Pleistocene climate-human-landscape interactions for the Mid- Atlantic region.