SITE FORMATION PROCESSES AT THE CONNLEY CAVES: A RECORD OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL CHANGE DURING THE LATE PLEISTOCENE AND EARLY HOLOCENE IN THE FORT ROCK BASIN, OREGON, USA

This paper provides an overview of ongoing geoarchaeological research at the Connley Caves, a series of late Pleistocene/early Holocene Western Stemmed Tradition occupations located within the Fort Rock basin of Oregon. This research seeks to integrate geomorphological, pedological, mineralogical, and geochemical data to 1) critically evaluate the stratigraphic integrity of the site’s deposits, 2) reconstruct the site's natural and cultural site formation processes, and 3) shed light on human-environment dynamics associated with the local pluvial lake system. Pluvial lakes in the Northern Great Basin represent key geomorphic filters for understanding late Pleistocene prehistory in the area. The results of this multi- and inter-disciplinary research will provide key data for constraining diachronic human occupation at the Connley Caves, shed light on late-Pleistocene and early-Holocene paleoenvironments within the Northern Great Basin, and will represent a model for future geoarchaeological research seeking to understand similar contexts in the Far West.