ARCHEOLOGY ON ICE

Approximately 10% of the earth's land surface is covered by ice. Global warming is rapidly melting ice and exposing rare archeological remains. These sites are important to understanding the role of high latitude and high altitude environments in human adaptation and cultural development. GIS modeling is used to identify areas exhibiting high potential for the preservation and discovery of frozen archeological remains in Alaska's Wrangell-Saint Elias Mountains. Areas holding the highest potential for archeological site discovery are: 1) ice-covered passes used as transportation corridors, and 2) glaciers and areas of persistent snow cover used by animals that attracted human predators.