A PRELIMINARY GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE WEST BLENNERHASSETT SITE (46WD83-A)

The West Blennerhassett site (46WD83-A) is a deeply stratified archaeological site located near the western end of Blennerhassett Island, an Ohio River island in Wood County, West Virginia. Archaeological investigations were conducted at the site by the Cultural Resources Section of Michael Baker Jr., Inc. in 2002 and 2003 as part of the environmental studies for the Appalachian Corridor D Project for the West Virginia Division of Highways and the Federal Highways Administration. These investigations revealed stratified archaeological deposits extending to a minimum of 5 m and spanning from the late Early Archaic thru the early Late Prehistoric periods (ca. 8400-700 rcy B.P.).

The uppermost approximate 4 m of sediments is dominated by pedogenic, rather than depositional characteristics. These sediments have developed a cumulic profile that encompasses archaeological deposits spanning from the early Middle Archaic period (ca. 8000-7400 rcy B.P.) to the early Late Prehistoric period (ca. 1000-700 rcy B.P.) and including approximately 1.20 m of culturally sterile sediment bracketed by the presumed highest early Middle Archaic cultural deposits (ca. 7400 B.P.) and the lowest terminal Late Archaic (post-4000 rcy B.P.) deposits. Discrete depositional units and sedimentary structures are absent from this 4 m sequence; they have presumably been obliterated by pedoturbation. However, the presence of stratified archaeological deposits, particularly occupational floors and associated cultural features, suggests that episodes of vertical accretion were interspersed by episodes of landform stability. Furthermore, the position of archaeological deposits in this sequence suggests occupants of the site reoccupied an area at or near the crest of a levee-like linear topographic feature.

Discrete depositional strata observed at the deepest levels of excavation indicate a paleolandform surface in the northern portion of the site dipping northward at approximately 5 percent. Preservation of these depositional strata may be indicative of a paleolandform surface that was inundated more frequently with fewer and shorter episodes of landform stability between depositional episodes. This interpretation is further supported by the apparent paucity of cultural deposits in the deepest levels of excavation.