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Late Quaternary environments of the Waco Mammoth site, Texas USA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Lee Nordt ,
John Bongino ,
Steven Forman ,
Don Esker  and
Anita Benedict
Lee Nordt*
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA
John Bongino
Affiliation:
Exxon Mobile, 22777 Springwoods Village Parkway, Spring, TX 77389, USA
Steven Forman
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA
Don Esker
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA
Anita Benedict
Affiliation:
Mayborn Museum Complex, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA
*
*Corresponding author.Email Address:lee_nordt@baylor.edu
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Abstract

The Waco Mammoth Site (WMS) in central Texas contains the remains of the largest mammoth herd (Mammuthus columbi) in North America that died in a single catastrophic event. Most mammoths at the site died on a gravel bar of the ancient Bosque River adjacent to a collapsing tributary wall. However, the timing and cause of death of the 26 mammoths documented to date are controversial. The objectives of this research are to: describe and interpret the alluvial stratigraphy and infer the cause of death, employ optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating to determine the timing of death, and analyze stable C isotopes of pedogenic carbonate to infer local plant communities, dietary habits, and summer temperatures. Dating of quartz from seven sediment samples by OSL places the death event to a weighted mean of 66.8 ± 5.0 ka. The site is coeval with Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 4, consistent with our reconstructed mean July temperatures ~ 4°C cooler than today based on a buried soil isotopic transfer function. Our buried soil isotopic interpretation of a dominance of C3 plants is contrary to previous studies of mammoth tooth enamel at the site suggesting a dietary preference for warm season grasses (C4).

Keywords

MammothCatastrophicBrazos RiverPleistoceneAlluvium
Type
Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 84 , Issue 3 , November 2015 , pp. 423 - 438
Copyright
University of Washington

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