Posts tagged art
CU-Boulder research efforts dates oldest petroglyphs known in North America
Aug 13th
The petroglyphs located at the Winnemucca Lake petroglyph site 35 miles northeast of Reno consist of large, deeply carved grooves and dots forming complex designs on several large limestone boulders that have been known about for decades, said CU-Boulder researcher Larry Benson, who led the new effort. Although there are no people, animals or handprint symbols depicted, the petroglyph designs include a series of vertical, chain-like symbols and a number of smaller pits deeply incised with a type of hard rock scraper.
Benson and his colleagues used several methods to date the petroglyphs, including determining when the water level the Winnemucca Lake subbasin—which back then was a single body of water connecting the now-dry Winnemucca Lake and the existing Pyramid Lake—reached the specific elevation of 3,960 feet.
The elevation was key to the study because it marked the maximum height the ancient lake system could have reached before it began spilling excess water over Emerson Pass to the north. When the lake level was at this height, the petroglyph-peppered boulders were submerged and therefore not accessible for carving, said Benson, an adjunct curator of anthropology at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History.
A paper on the subject was published this month in the Journal of Archaeological Science. Co-authors on the study included Eugene Hattori of the Nevada State Museum in Carson City, Nev., John Southon of the University of California, Irvine and Benjamin Aleck of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Museum and Visitor’s Center in Nixon, Nev. The National Research Program of the U.S. Geological Survey funded the study.
According to Benson, a white layer of carbonate made of limestone precipitated from the ancient, overflowing Winnemucca Lake had coated some of the petroglyph carvings near the base of the boulders. Previous work by Benson showed the carbonate coating elsewhere in the basin at that elevation had a radiocarbon date of roughly 11,000 years ago.
Benson sampled the carbonate into which the petroglyphs were incised and the carbonate that coated the petroglyphs at the base of the limestone boulder. The radiocarbon dates on the samples indicated the carbonate layer underlying the petroglyphs dated to roughly 14,800 ago. Those dates, as well as additional geochemical data on a sediment core from the adjacent Pyramid Lake subbasin, indicated the limestone boulders containing the petroglyphs were exposed to air between 14,800 and 13,200 years ago and again between about 11,300 and 10,500 years ago.
“Prior to our study, archaeologists had suggested these petroglyphs were extremely old,” said Benson, also an emeritus USGS scientist. “Whether they turn out to be as old as 14,800 years ago or as recent as 10,500 years ago, they are still the oldest petroglyphs that have been dated in North America.”
While Native American artifacts found in the Lahontan Basin—which encompasses the Winnemucca Lake subbasin—date to the time period of 11,300 to 10,500 years ago, it does not rule out the possibility that the petroglyphs were carved as early as 14,800 years ago, Benson said.
The oldest dates calculated for the Winnemucca Lake petroglyph site correspond with the time frame linked to several pieces of fossilized human excrement found in a cave in Oregon, said Benson, who also is affiliated with CU’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research. The caves, known as the Paisley Caves in south central Oregon, held not only fossilized human coprolites that dated to roughly 14,400 years ago, but also bones of horses and camels that went extinct in North America prior to 13,000 years ago.
The younger time interval calculated for the Winnemucca petroglyphs corresponds to dates obtained from a second significant archaeological finding in the region—Spirit Cave Man, who was discovered more than 70 years ago some 60 miles east of Reno and whose hair, bones and clothing were dated to about 10,600 years ago. The remains of the man, who was found partially mummified in a shallow grave in Spirit Cave, Nev., were discovered with a fur robe, a woven marsh plant shroud and moccasins.
Petroglyphs near Long Lake in central Oregon—which were previously thought to be the oldest examples of rock art in North America—share similar features with some of the rock art the Winnemucca site, said Benson. At least one of the petroglyph panels from Long Lake was buried by ash from an eruption of the nearby Mount Mazama volcano roughly 6,700 years ago, proof that it was carved sometime before the eruption.
“We have no idea what they mean,” Benson said of the Winnemucca Lake petroglyphs. “But I think they are absolutely beautiful symbols. Some look like multiple connected sets of diamonds, and some look like trees, or veins in a leaf. There are few petroglyphs in the American Southwest that are as deeply carved as these, and few that have the same sense of size.”
Benson obtained permission to non-invasively examine the petroglyphs from the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, which owns the land. Study co-author John Southton, a faculty member at University of California, Irvine, radiocarbon dated the material for the study.
-CU-
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City Rangers have a relatively quiet week, and other OSMP news
Aug 1st
• South Boulder Peak on a report of a lost hiker.
Rangers worked with RMR to find the hiker and get her back down safely.
• A report of a private citizen illegally grazing their horses on the Abbott property.
The private citizen set up water tanks and hay bales on the Abbott property.
A summons was issued with a mandatory court appearance.
• A report of an injured climber on the Dome. The climber fell approximately 8-10 ft,
potentially breaking their ankle. Rangers worked with RMR on this call.
• A party in Settler’s Park that had a warrant for their arrest.
Rangers worked with Boulder PD on this arrest.
• A report of two criminal trespasses. One happened in front of the Rolling Rock property,
while the other took place within the West South Boulder Creek Trailhead.
The suspect has not been found at this time.
• A report of an injured hiker on the Lower Bear Canyon trail. The hiker sprained their left ankle. Rangers worked with AMR on this call.
Cottonwood Pond Restoration
The restoration work at Cottonwood Pond and along Goose Creek is progressing. This project is a partnership between OSMP and Public Works and is funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Cottonwood Pond, a former gravel pit, will be filled and restored to native wetland and riparian habitat. When completed, Goose Creek will meander through wetland and riparian habitat before reaching Boulder Creek. Of all wetland types, the Front Range has experienced the biggest loss of acreage in the riverine wetland type; this project will also increase riverine wetland habitat. The restoration project will also eliminate the Eurasian water milfoil and curly leaf pondweed, both aggressive non-native aquatic weeds, which currently infest the pond.
Community Outreach
OSMP Opening Art Show Evening a Success – Several hundred people, including many of the artists with work on display, turned out for the opening reception for the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks art show, Art Inspired by the Land. The show celebrates art created by the community and inspired by OSMP lands. Enjoy this selection of photos from the event, many featuring the artists posing with their work.
The art show is located in the Boulder Public Library Canyon Gallery (1001 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder).
The show is open to the public and will run from July 20 – August 28 during normal library hours. Drop in and see how Open Space inspires local artists!
Wittemyer Trail Construction Volunteer Project, Sat. August 10th, 8 AM
Give a little of your summer at the second volunteer project to help build the new summit trail leading up the west side of Mt. Sanitas! Volunteers will clear the trail corridor, haul slash and construct trail. The Wittemyer West Sanitas Trail is being constructed to provide for a new approach to the summit of Mt. Sanitas from the west side. This project is physically arduous with a steep hike to the project site.
Sign up here: https://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/ap?AP=2073189375
Vegetable Harvesting at Cure Organic Farm, Thurs. August 15th, 8:45 amJoin OSMP to assist Anne Cure and her interns in harvesting tomatoes and other veggies. The City of Boulder Agricultural Specialist will discuss the history of agriculture in the area and organic vegetable production on OSMP. Learn what it takes to grow vegetables in this region (soil type, water, etc). Anne will share her particular farming methods that help the farm ecosystem and the community.
Sign up here: https://www.volgistics.com/ex/portal.dll/ap?AP=1452253309
Ask Coyote Bob!
Have you visited the OSMP kids page? Kids can complete puzzles and ask Coyote Bob questions.
https://bouldercolorado.gov/osmp/kids-pages
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UMBA, Creative Community Co-Op
Jul 2nd
Umba means “sister” in Balinese from the first place we brought back worldly treasures to share, and later found out it means the “process of creation” in Swahili. Starting with music festivals Umba has evolved into a synergistic force in the community.
2043 Broadway
Boulder, CO 80302
Phone: (303) 442-2059
Monday – Saturday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Email: umbalovelight@yahooo.com
Website: http://www.umbafestivalclothing.com/
Map & Reviews