Geoarchaeological Assessment of the Sand Creek Massacre Site, Kiowa County, Colorado
Holmes AM, McFaul M, Laramie Soils Services. 1999. Geoarchaeological Assessment of the Sand Creek Massacre Site, Kiowa County, Colorado. Laramie, WY
Geoarchaeological and geomorphological investigations at the four possible 1864 Sand Creek Massacre localities in Kiowa County, Colorado reveal that the study area is dominated by Quaternary alluvial and eolian landforms. We identified five major landforms or terrain types. These include the modern floodplain (TO), alluvial terraces Tl, T2, T3, and an eolian-capped bedrock bluff Terrace boundaries are discrete and partially masked by discontinuous eolian sands. The National Park Service found a probable massacre-age village site on the Tl and T2 terraces on a segment of the Dawson property. Overall, the core samples reveal minimal subsurface disturbance. Relative age-dating and depositional histories throughout the study area suggest that the eolian deposits on the Tl, T2, T3, and bluffhave the potential to yield Sand Creek Massacre-period cultural materials. Alluvial members of the Tl and T2 are also young enough to yield 1864-period materials. However, radiocarbon assay of organic paleosols buried at 23 em below surface in the Tl, arid 97 em in the T2 sediments at the Dawson Locality #3 show that the recent alluvium is relatively shallow.
- Type
- Unpublished Report
- Authors
- Holmes, Amy; McFaul, Michael; Laramie Soils Services
- Date of Issue
- 1999-10-18
- Units
- SAND
- Keywords
- core samples, cultural material, Dawson property, geoarchaeology, Geomorphology, Paleosols, Quaternary alluvium and eolian landforms, Soils, Terraces, terrain types