A QUATERNARY MOLLUSCAN ASSEMBLAGE FROM A POST-GLACIAL/FLUVIAL DEPOSIT IN THE BUFFALO RIVER VALLEY: MSUM REGIONAL SCIENCE CENTER IN WEST-CENTRAL MINNESOTA

Stratigraphic species distribution is a key environmental indicator, particularly when extant corollaries can be identified. This single site survey, completed as part of a larger examination of the evolution of the landscapes in the area occupying the MSUM Regional Science Center (“RSC”), focuses on species changes through time of aquatic and terrestrial mollusks. The goal was to better understand the stratigraphic sequences associated with varying deposits in the region, and coordinate that with additional research completed in the RSC in order to refine the environmental conditions present. Understanding species changes through the stratigraphic record refines the state of the local environment.

Excavation and bulk sample collection provided a large quantity of molluscan remains. A number of different aquatic and terrestrial species have been identified in these collections. Past excavations by archaeologists researching the region have turned up similar assemblages which have remained largely unexamined to this time. By examining the species, and through further excavations focusing on species distributions, it is hoped that these specimens can be utilized as another stratigraphic tool in site characterization.

The project provides a baseline for ongoing exploration and refinement of the environmental development of the area, as well as developing another field tool for use in stratigraphic site identification.