POST-GLACIAL ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF HYDE PARK MASTODON SITE, DUTCHESS COUNTY, NY

During the summer of 2000, The Paleontological Research Institution began excavation of a newly discovered mastodon (Mammut americanum) in Hyde Park, New York. Three sediment cores were extracted at the site, one of which was taken through the bones of the mastodon. The mastodon was found in a kettle pond. The late Pleistocene environment in Hyde Park was a cool, boggy place dominated by pro-glacial Lake Albany, spruce and fir forest, and some emerging hardwoods. Five species of conifers and six species of molluscs have already been identified to have existed at the time of the mastodon. When the climate became warmer and drier 11,000 years ago, it was no longer an ideal habitat for mastodons. Our examination of core LP2A reveals information about the climate and environment in which this mastodon lived. Core LP2A is 196 cm in length and has 3 distinct layers. From the top down these are organic peat, lighter colored organic material, and a glacially deposited gray marl. The mastodon was found at the interface between the second and third layers. Preliminary pollen analyses, and carbon and carbonate analyses confirm previous paleoclimatological recontructions. Future work on this core may include heavy mineral data, and grain size and distribution.