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Recognizing macrofossils : a pictorial guide to some common seeds and shells from alluvial deposits in southern Alberta

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Macrofossils such as seeds and shells are excellent resources for reconstructing past environments. This paper reviews diagnostic characteristics and presents microphotographs of fossil and modern... More ≫

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Macrofossils such as seeds and shells are excellent resources for reconstructing past environments. This paper reviews diagnostic characteristics and presents microphotographs of fossil and modern specimens of taxa commonly encountered in near-stream sediment samples from a southern Alberta flood investigation program. The goal of this paper is to provide critical identification information about the target taxa to non-specialists. We hope that this will promote the further collection of macroremain-rich samples and provide a foundational approach for describing seeds and shells. Part of the 37th volume of the Archaeological Survey of Alberta Occasional Paper series, which contains 18 articles exploring multiple facets of the impact on archaeological resources of the 2013 flood in southern Alberta.

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Reconstructing the Highwood River’s Holocene palaeoecology : assessment of organic-rich alluvial samples collected following the 2013 flood event

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Periodic flood events are normal for rivers. These events sometimes deposit sediments that trap biological remains that can be used to reconstruct the local environment. Following the 2013... More ≫

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Periodic flood events are normal for rivers. These events sometimes deposit sediments that trap biological remains that can be used to reconstruct the local environment. Following the 2013 flooding of the Highwood River, southwestern Alberta, 24 organic-rich palaeoenvironmental samples were collected from the river’s banks at 14 localities. Data synthesis generated a detectable signal of climatic change throughout the Holocene. The general trend shows a progression from drier conditions in the early Holocene towards relatively moist conditions today. This study is the first detailed examination of near-river palaeoenvironmental conditions in southern Alberta.

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