Date of Award:
12-2024
Document Type:
Thesis
Degree Name:
Master of Science (MS)
Department:
Sociology and Anthropology
Committee Chair(s)
Judson Byrd Finley
Committee
Judson Byrd Finley
Committee
Jacob Freeman
Committee
Erick Robinson
Abstract
Clear Creek is a major Fremont early agricultural landscape in central Utah. The Fremont culture occupied the northern Colorado Plateau and the eastern Great Basin for approximately 1,000 years between AD 300–1300. This study builds an alluvial chronology that details the local history of alluvial fan development and erosion and examines the geoarchaeological context at Five Finger Ridge, the major occupation site in the valley. Geochronologic dating of sediment deposits, analyses of sediment types, AMS radiocarbon dating, and optically stimulated luminescence dating (OSL) ages has helped identify geomorphic contexts of Fremont agriculture in Clear Creek Canyon. This study focuses on large scale landforms including alluvial fans and flood plains to understand the conditions necessary for successful dryland farming. Side-valley fans are known to create stepwise gradients, and stable floodplain reaches along master streams like Clear Creek with locally perched water tables, riparian communities, and lower sensitivity to headward erosion. These are ideal geomorphic conditions for dryland agriculture. The results of this study indicate that the alluvial fan began forming at least 5,000 years ago and was in a phase of stability during the occupation of Five Finger Ridge. This information helps further understand the relationship between geomorphic contexts and the development of agriculture in the northern Colorado Plateau and eastern Great Plains.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Bianchini, Michael D., "The Geoarchaeology of an Early Agricultural Landscape on Clear Creek, Fremont Indian State Park, Utah" (2024). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present. 390.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd2023/390
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