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Show COLLEGE OF SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ABSTRACTS DENDROCLIMATOLOGY OF RANGE CREEK CANYON Melanie Cooke (Mitchell Power) Department of Geography University of Utah Range Creek is a small deeply incised canyon located in south central Utah. This remote canyon has experienced minimal impact to its rich archaeological heritage by European-American settlers during the last two hundred years. Range Creek contains hundreds of important archaeological sites and thousands of artifacts from the Fremont culture that inhabited the area from around 800 A.D. to 1350 A.D.Though much work has been done on the archaeological sites in the canyon, a better understanding of the paleoclimate and environment are needed to understand why the Fremont culture abruptly disappeared around 1160 A.D. Dendrochronology has been shown to provide excellent data for reconstruction of past climate conditions. Conifer tree species, including Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), are well-suited for studying past climate through the analysis of their tree rings. In this study, I use Douglas fir to build a local history of tree-ring growth rates through time. By comparing changes in ring widths with weather station data, including monthly and seasonal temperature, precipitation and snowfall records, I hypothesize that Douglas fir will provide a sensitive indicator of past changes in winter precipitation. Although this analysis cannot provide direct observation on climate conditions during the period of the Fremont occupation and abandonment of Range Creek, it will provide insights into the natural climate variability occurring within Range Creek Canyon. Range Creek Dendro Sanes 1 g 0 5 I 0 | ' | ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I ' I 1915 1925 1935 1945 1955 1985 1975 1985 1995 2005 years A D Mitchell Power 91 |
