A New Look at the Old Scottsbluff Bison Quarry: Using Isotopes and Zooarchaeology to Understand Bonebed Formation

In 1932, the University of Nebraska State Museum undertook excavations at the Scottsbluff Bison Quarry in northwest Nebraska. Our reanalysis of the extant faunal collection found a minimum of 26 bison present, some with evidence of limited filleting and limb dismemberment. However, we also see signs...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PaleoAmerica : a journal of early human migration and dispersal 2017-01, Vol.3 (1), p.84-95
Main Authors: Hill, Matthew E., Boehm, Andrew R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
bison
Paleoindian
stable isotopes
taphonomy
zooarchaeology
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Summary:In 1932, the University of Nebraska State Museum undertook excavations at the Scottsbluff Bison Quarry in northwest Nebraska. Our reanalysis of the extant faunal collection found a minimum of 26 bison present, some with evidence of limited filleting and limb dismemberment. However, we also see signs of post-depositional alteration of the site assemblage and collection bias on the part of the original excavators, and argue that the existing museum collection does not accurately reflect the size and composition of the original bonebed. Skeletal element frequency patterning and variability in stable isotope values suggest severe post-depositional modification, likely fluvial sorting, strongly affected the composition of the bonebed. Despite the site's historical importance, Scottsbluff faunal data should only be used in the future with great caution.
ISSN:2055-5563
2055-5571
DOI:10.1080/20555563.2016.1269579