Bedrock basins in the Sierra Nevada, Alta California
California Archaeology
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Abstract
A 360-km-long belt of more than 1,400 meter-sized granitic bedrock
basins occurs at 1,200 to 2,500 m elevation on the west flank of the Sierra Nevada.
The circular, smooth basins are 0.7 to 1.7 min diameter and are commonly
50 to 1,000 liters in volume. They are man-made as shown by their restricted size
and elevation range, uniform circular shape, distinct basin shapes in different
cultural areas, and the presence of bedrock mortars at 80 percent of the basin
sites. Moreover, the juxtaposition of a northern cluster of basins to the vicinity
of a rare salt spring suggests that these basins were constructed to evaporate salt.
Several basins contain an A.O. 1350 volcanic ash, indicating that some existed
before the end of the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (MCA; A.O. 800-1350). The basin
belt was more productive in terms of food sources during the MCA, and it is
postulated that warmer, drier conditions promoted the construction of cisterns
to contain fresh water in order to prolong the time of occupation of mountain
camps in late summer. Construction of the granitic basins required enormous
energy and produced one of the largest and better preserved sets of Native
Californian features.
Suggested Citation
Moore, J.G., Gorden, M., and Sisson, T.W., 2012, Bedrock basins in the Sierra Nevada, Alta California: California Archaeology, v. 4, no. 1, p. 99-122.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Bedrock basins in the Sierra Nevada, Alta California |
| Series title | California Archaeology |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 2012 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Society for California Archaeology |
| Contributing office(s) | Volcano Science Center |
| Description | 24 p. |
| First page | 99 |
| Last page | 122 |