Amy E Gusick
Biographic Data
| ID | 4121911 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Amy E Gusick |
| GIVEN NAMES | Amy E |
| FAMILY NAME | Gusick |
| SIGNATURE | GUSICK A E |
| AFFILIATIONS | Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3757-1662 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 57 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 13 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Exploring a Scientific Research Station from a Bygone Era
The northwest coast of Wimaɬ (Santa Rosa Island) has long been a focus of archaeological research, including former Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History archaeologist, geologist, and paleontologist Phil Orr's work from the 1940s–1960s. Orr pioneered the use of radiocarbon dating on the California Channel Islands, built extensive archaeological collections, and constructed a detailed cultural sequence. Here, we discuss the history and status of…
Re-evaluating terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene settlement patterns with Chirp subbottom data from around California's Northern Channel Islands
California's Northern Channel Islands contain an incredible record of terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene human occupation. Since the hunter-gatherer-fishers who created these sites relied heavily on marine resources, a critical aspect of understanding early settlement patterns is calculating distance to paleoshorelines. This has traditionally been accomplished using sea-level curves and bathymetric models that do not account for sediment dep…
A trans-holocene approach to assess maritime development on the California Channel Islands archipelago
Submerged paleoshoreline mapping using high-resolution Chirp sub-bottom data, Northern Channel Islands platform, California, USA
High-resolution Chirp sub-bottom data were obtained offshore from the Northern Channel Islands (NCI), California, to image submerged paleoshorelines and assess local uplift rates. Although modern bathymetry is often used for modeling paleoshorelines, Chirp data image paleoshorelines buried beneath sediment that obscures their seafloor expression. The NCI were a unified landmass during the last glacial maximum (LGM; ~20 ka), when eustatic sea leve…
Meat food preferences during the Late Archaic Period at Puerto Marqués, Guerrero, Mexico
We investigate animal food preferences of the Ostiones people, the occupants of the coastal site of Puerto Marqués, one of the few Late Archaic Period sites located along the Pacific coast of Mexico (4600 and 2000 cal BCE). Our data are based upon recovered faunal remains at the site, which consist of vertebrate bones and molluskan shells identified to the lowest possible taxon. Habitat information for the animals allows a reconstruction of the O…
Fladmark + 40
Forty years ago, Knut Fladmark (1979) argued that the Pacific Coast offered a viable alternative to the ice-free corridor model for the initial peopling of the Americas-one of the first to support a 'coastal migration theory' that remained marginal for decades. Today, the pre-Clovis occupation at the Monte Verde site is widely accepted, several other pre-Clovis sites are well documented, investigations of terminal Pleistocene subaerial and submer…
Defining Maritime Cultural Landscapes in California
Defining a maritime cultural landscape relies on recognizing both the landscape and seascape as integral to maritime societies. While this concept has been part of anthropological studies for decades, data from the submerged portion of the maritime landscape is often overlooked. The maritime archaeological work needed to collect these data has historically been marginalized within the broader archaeological discipline, but is slowly gaining wides…
Working from the Known to the Unknown
Since the collapse of the Clovis-first model of the peopling of the Americas some 30 years ago, there has been growing interest in the Pacific Coast as a potential early human dispersal corridor. With postglacial eustatic sea level rise inundating most New World paleoshorelines older than ~7000 years, however, locating terminal Pleistocene sites along modern coastlines is challenging. Using the distribution and archaeology of subaerial Paleocoast…
Shellfish for the Celestial Empire
The latest contribution by Todd Braje, Shellfish for the Celestial Empire: The Rise and Fall of Abalone Fishing in California, is an informative and enjoyable read for both public and scientific au
Bias in Fish Bone Recovery from Differential Collection Techniques and Its Impact on Cultural Interpretation in California
While studies on recovery bias are numerous in the literature, the current research focuses on defining best practices in field collection techniques to provide a more accurate representative of site constituents, particularly fish remains. Methods to determine best practices included use of 1/4-inch, 1/8-inch, and 1/16-inch mesh to process excavated material from 10 × 10 cm and 40 × 40 cm-sized bulk column samples and from a 1 × 1 m test unit. F…
Low-Density Lithic Scatter Sites and the Distribution of Toolstone on Santa Rosa Island, Alta California
Recent surveys on California’s northern Channel Islands have highlighted the ubiquity of small, low-density lithic scatters across coastal terraces and interior ridgelines. These sites typically lack organic materials or diagnostic artifacts and are therefore rarely the subject of archaeological investigation. Here we quantify raw material and flake type for nine representative sites from three distinct parts of Santa Rosa Island. The three regio…
Identifying Shell Middens With Historic Aerial Photos
Using 1929 aerial photos of western Santa Cruz Island, we identified numerous potential shell midden locations, followed by confirmation of site locations via field reconnaissance. Heavy grazing by sheep, cattle, and pigs closely cropped island vegetation in the early twentieth century, exposing shell middens now often covered with thick vegetation. We discuss the potential and limitations of early aerial photos as aids to archaeological site ide…
Three Paleocoastal Lithic Sites on Santa Cruz Island, California
Paleocoastal sites, dated between ∼13,000 and 8000 cal yr BP, are relatively abundant on California's Northern Channel Islands but rare on the largest island of Santa Cruz. Here we describe three lithic sites containing chipped-stone crescents and, in one case, a stemmed Channel Island Barbed point fragment. Elsewhere on the islands, datable sites containing crescents are either terminal Pleistocene or early Holocene in age. Two of the lithic sit…
Fladmark + 40
Forty years ago, Knut Fladmark (1979) argued that the Pacific Coast offered a viable alternative to the ice-free corridor model for the initial peopling of the Americas-one of the first to support a 'coastal migration theory' that remained marginal for decades. Today, the pre-Clovis occupation at the Monte Verde site is widely accepted, several other pre-Clovis sites are well documented, investigations of terminal Pleistocene subaerial and submer…
Working from the Known to the Unknown
Since the collapse of the Clovis-first model of the peopling of the Americas some 30 years ago, there has been growing interest in the Pacific Coast as a potential early human dispersal corridor. With postglacial eustatic sea level rise inundating most New World paleoshorelines older than ~7000 years, however, locating terminal Pleistocene sites along modern coastlines is challenging. Using the distribution and archaeology of subaerial Paleocoast…
Re-evaluating terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene settlement patterns with Chirp subbottom data from around California's Northern Channel Islands
California's Northern Channel Islands contain an incredible record of terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene human occupation. Since the hunter-gatherer-fishers who created these sites relied heavily on marine resources, a critical aspect of understanding early settlement patterns is calculating distance to paleoshorelines. This has traditionally been accomplished using sea-level curves and bathymetric models that do not account for sediment dep…
Low-Density Lithic Scatter Sites and the Distribution of Toolstone on Santa Rosa Island, Alta California
Recent surveys on California’s northern Channel Islands have highlighted the ubiquity of small, low-density lithic scatters across coastal terraces and interior ridgelines. These sites typically lack organic materials or diagnostic artifacts and are therefore rarely the subject of archaeological investigation. Here we quantify raw material and flake type for nine representative sites from three distinct parts of Santa Rosa Island. The three regio…
Defining Maritime Cultural Landscapes in California
Defining a maritime cultural landscape relies on recognizing both the landscape and seascape as integral to maritime societies. While this concept has been part of anthropological studies for decades, data from the submerged portion of the maritime landscape is often overlooked. The maritime archaeological work needed to collect these data has historically been marginalized within the broader archaeological discipline, but is slowly gaining wides…
Bias in Fish Bone Recovery from Differential Collection Techniques and Its Impact on Cultural Interpretation in California
While studies on recovery bias are numerous in the literature, the current research focuses on defining best practices in field collection techniques to provide a more accurate representative of site constituents, particularly fish remains. Methods to determine best practices included use of 1/4-inch, 1/8-inch, and 1/16-inch mesh to process excavated material from 10 × 10 cm and 40 × 40 cm-sized bulk column samples and from a 1 × 1 m test unit. F…
Identifying Shell Middens With Historic Aerial Photos
Using 1929 aerial photos of western Santa Cruz Island, we identified numerous potential shell midden locations, followed by confirmation of site locations via field reconnaissance. Heavy grazing by sheep, cattle, and pigs closely cropped island vegetation in the early twentieth century, exposing shell middens now often covered with thick vegetation. We discuss the potential and limitations of early aerial photos as aids to archaeological site ide…
Three Paleocoastal Lithic Sites on Santa Cruz Island, California
Paleocoastal sites, dated between ∼13,000 and 8000 cal yr BP, are relatively abundant on California's Northern Channel Islands but rare on the largest island of Santa Cruz. Here we describe three lithic sites containing chipped-stone crescents and, in one case, a stemmed Channel Island Barbed point fragment. Elsewhere on the islands, datable sites containing crescents are either terminal Pleistocene or early Holocene in age. Two of the lithic sit…
Low-Density Lithic Scatter Sites and the Distribution of Toolstone on Santa Rosa Island, Alta California
Recent surveys on California’s northern Channel Islands have highlighted the ubiquity of small, low-density lithic scatters across coastal terraces and interior ridgelines. These sites typically lack organic materials or diagnostic artifacts and are therefore rarely the subject of archaeological investigation. Here we quantify raw material and flake type for nine representative sites from three distinct parts of Santa Rosa Island. The three regio…
Identifying Shell Middens With Historic Aerial Photos
Using 1929 aerial photos of western Santa Cruz Island, we identified numerous potential shell midden locations, followed by confirmation of site locations via field reconnaissance. Heavy grazing by sheep, cattle, and pigs closely cropped island vegetation in the early twentieth century, exposing shell middens now often covered with thick vegetation. We discuss the potential and limitations of early aerial photos as aids to archaeological site ide…
Shellfish for the Celestial Empire
The latest contribution by Todd Braje, Shellfish for the Celestial Empire: The Rise and Fall of Abalone Fishing in California, is an informative and enjoyable read for both public and scientific au
Bias in Fish Bone Recovery from Differential Collection Techniques and Its Impact on Cultural Interpretation in California
While studies on recovery bias are numerous in the literature, the current research focuses on defining best practices in field collection techniques to provide a more accurate representative of site constituents, particularly fish remains. Methods to determine best practices included use of 1/4-inch, 1/8-inch, and 1/16-inch mesh to process excavated material from 10 × 10 cm and 40 × 40 cm-sized bulk column samples and from a 1 × 1 m test unit. F…
Defining Maritime Cultural Landscapes in California
Defining a maritime cultural landscape relies on recognizing both the landscape and seascape as integral to maritime societies. While this concept has been part of anthropological studies for decades, data from the submerged portion of the maritime landscape is often overlooked. The maritime archaeological work needed to collect these data has historically been marginalized within the broader archaeological discipline, but is slowly gaining wides…
Working from the Known to the Unknown
Since the collapse of the Clovis-first model of the peopling of the Americas some 30 years ago, there has been growing interest in the Pacific Coast as a potential early human dispersal corridor. With postglacial eustatic sea level rise inundating most New World paleoshorelines older than ~7000 years, however, locating terminal Pleistocene sites along modern coastlines is challenging. Using the distribution and archaeology of subaerial Paleocoast…
Submerged paleoshoreline mapping using high-resolution Chirp sub-bottom data, Northern Channel Islands platform, California, USA
High-resolution Chirp sub-bottom data were obtained offshore from the Northern Channel Islands (NCI), California, to image submerged paleoshorelines and assess local uplift rates. Although modern bathymetry is often used for modeling paleoshorelines, Chirp data image paleoshorelines buried beneath sediment that obscures their seafloor expression. The NCI were a unified landmass during the last glacial maximum (LGM; ~20 ka), when eustatic sea leve…
Meat food preferences during the Late Archaic Period at Puerto Marqués, Guerrero, Mexico
We investigate animal food preferences of the Ostiones people, the occupants of the coastal site of Puerto Marqués, one of the few Late Archaic Period sites located along the Pacific coast of Mexico (4600 and 2000 cal BCE). Our data are based upon recovered faunal remains at the site, which consist of vertebrate bones and molluskan shells identified to the lowest possible taxon. Habitat information for the animals allows a reconstruction of the O…
Fladmark + 40
Forty years ago, Knut Fladmark (1979) argued that the Pacific Coast offered a viable alternative to the ice-free corridor model for the initial peopling of the Americas-one of the first to support a 'coastal migration theory' that remained marginal for decades. Today, the pre-Clovis occupation at the Monte Verde site is widely accepted, several other pre-Clovis sites are well documented, investigations of terminal Pleistocene subaerial and submer…
A trans-holocene approach to assess maritime development on the California Channel Islands archipelago
Re-evaluating terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene settlement patterns with Chirp subbottom data from around California's Northern Channel Islands
California's Northern Channel Islands contain an incredible record of terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene human occupation. Since the hunter-gatherer-fishers who created these sites relied heavily on marine resources, a critical aspect of understanding early settlement patterns is calculating distance to paleoshorelines. This has traditionally been accomplished using sea-level curves and bathymetric models that do not account for sediment dep…
Exploring a Scientific Research Station from a Bygone Era
The northwest coast of Wimaɬ (Santa Rosa Island) has long been a focus of archaeological research, including former Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History archaeologist, geologist, and paleontologist Phil Orr's work from the 1940s–1960s. Orr pioneered the use of radiocarbon dating on the California Channel Islands, built extensive archaeological collections, and constructed a detailed cultural sequence. Here, we discuss the history and status of…
Archaeology (12 works) · Geography (12 works) · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies (10 works) · Geology (6 works) · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research (6 works) · Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology (6 works) · Isotope Analysis in Ecology (5 works) · Holocene (4 works) · Oceanography (4 works) · Pleistocene (4 works)