Rolf W Mathewes
Biographic Data
| ID | 5647251 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rolf W Mathewes |
| GIVEN NAMES | Rolf W |
| FAMILY NAME | Mathewes |
| SIGNATURE | MATHEWES R W |
| AFFILIATIONS | Simon Fraser University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7637-199X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 43 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 25 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1984 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Ice Patches and Obsidian Quarries
This article presents the results of archaeological survey of ice patches in the vicinity of the vast obsidian quarries and artifact scatters found near Goat Mountain and the Kitsu Plateau in Mount Edziza Provincial Park, Tahltan Territory. During the survey, over 50 perishable artifacts were found, including stitched birch bark containers, wooden walking staffs, carved and beveled sticks, an atlatl dart foreshaft, and a stitched hide boot. Radio…
Plant macrofossils as indicators of vegetation and climate change in the Northern Black Forest of Germany during the last millennium - with focus on the Little Ice Age
Late Pleistocene vegetation and sedimentary charcoal at Kilgii Gwaay archaeological site in coastal British Columbia, Canada, with possible proxy evidence for human presence by 13,000 cal bp
Paleoecology and ice limits of the early Fraser glaciation (Marine Isotope Stage 2) on Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada
Our study combines new geological and paleoecological information to reconstruct the glacial history and terrestrial paleoenvironments on Haida Gwaii during the advance phase of the Fraser glaciation (Marine Isotope Stage 2). At Cape Ball on eastern Graham Island, five accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon ages ranging from 23,200±280 to 26,650±390 14 C yr BP (ca. 27,000–31,400 cal yr BP) record the earliest approach of mainland glaciers to H…
High-resolution palynology, climate change and human impact on a late Holocene peat bog on Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada
Haida Gwaii (formerly Queen Charlotte Islands) is an archipelago on the outer central coast of British Columbia. Drizzle Bog on Graham Island is a Sphagnum-dominated peatland selected for a multiproxy palaeoecological analysis using pollen, spores and other microfossils to see whether climatic changes such as the ‘Mediaeval Climate Anomaly’ (MCA), ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA) and post-LIA warming could be detected in this hypermaritime region. A 90-cm-…
A 14,000 year vegetation history of a hypermaritime island on the outer Pacific coast of Canada based on fossil pollen, spores and conifer stomata
Pollen and conifer stomata analyses of lake sediments from Hippa Island on the north coast of British Columbia were used to reconstruct the vegetation history of this small hypermaritime island. Between 14,000 and 13,230 cal yr BP, the island supported diverse herb–shrub communities dominated by Cyperaceae, Artemisia and Salix . Pinus contorta and Picea sitchensis stomata indicate that these conifers were present among the herb–shrub communities,…
Paleoecological analyses of lake sediments reveal prehistoric human impact on forests at anthony island Unesco World Heritage Site, Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii), Canada
Pollen and plant macrofossil analyses of lake sediments from Anthony Island in the southern Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii), British Columbia, reveal 1800 yr of relatively stable temperate rainforest vegetation. Cupressaceae (cedar) pollen percentages and accumulation rates decline about 1000 cal yr BP, coincident with occupation of the island by Haida peoples, who use Thuja plicata (western red cedar) almost exclusively for house construct…
Paleoecology of Beringian “packrat” middens from central Yukon Territory, Canada
Rodent middens from ice-rich loess deposits are important new paleoenvironmental archives for Eastern Beringia. Plant macrofossils recovered from three middens associated with Dawson tephra (ca. 24,000 14 C yr B.P.) at two sites in Yukon Territory include diverse graminoids, forbs, and mosses. These data suggest substantial local scale floristic and habitat diversity in valley settings, including steppe-tundra on well-drained soils, moist streams…
Climate Change and Culture Change on the Southern Coast of British Columbia 2400-1200 Cal. B.P
The Marpole phase of the Gulf of Georgia, SW British Columbia (2400–1200 cal B.P.) is recognized by many archaeologists as a significant period of culture change. Concurrent with this cultural phase is a climatic regime characterized by a substantial increase in forest fires associated with persistent summer drought: the Fraser Valley Fire Period (FVFP). Culturally, the Marpole phase is characterized by the widespread appearance of large houses, …
Midge-inferred Holocene climate history of two subalpine lakes in southern British Columbia, Canada
To investigate postglacial environmental changes in both the coastal and interior wet belts of British Columbia, fossil midges were analysed from two subalpine lakes, one adjacent to the lower Fraser canyon (Frozen Lake), and the other in Mount Revelstoke National Park (Eagle Lake). The midge stratigraphy for Frozen Lake revealed an abundance of rheophilous chironomid taxa and Simuliidae larvae, refecting the presence of an inflowing stream. An a…
Paleoecology of late-glacial terrestrial deposits with in situ conifers from the submerged continental shelf of western Canada
Extensive portions of the continental shelf off the coast of British Columbia were subaerially exposed during Late Wisconsinan deglaciation due to lowering of relative sea level by as much as 150 m. Paleoecological analyses were conducted at two sites on the emergent continental shelf where terrestrial surfaces with in situ conifers are preserved. The woody plant remains confirm that, during the latest period of subaerial exposure, terrestrial ve…
A modern analogue for plant colonization of palaeotsunami sands in Cascadia, British Columbia, Canada
The sediment stratigraphy of a modern analogue for pioneer-plant colonization of palaeotsunami sands near Tofino, British Columbia, Canada, shows that a sand outcrop is continuous with a buried sand stratum deposited by tsunamis of the ad 1700 Cascadia earthquake. Plants growing on the sand outcrop form a low-marsh community that includes Triglochin maritimum, Salicornia virginica, Spergularia canadensis, Puccinellia pumila and Plantago maritima.…
A 1000-year record of forest fire, drought and lake-level change in southeastern British Columbia, Canada
High-resolution charcoal analysis of lake sediments and stand-age information were used to reconstruct a 1000-year fire history around Dog Lake, which is located in the montane spruce zone of southeastern British Columbia. Macroscopic charcoal (>125,um) accumulation rates (CHAR) from lake sediment were compared with a modern stand-origin map and fire-scar dates in the Kootenay Valley to determine the relative area and proximity of fires recorded …
Long-Term Fire Regime Estimated from Soil Charcoal in Coastal Temperate Rainforests
Lertzman, K., D. Gavin, D. Hallett, L. Brubaker, D. Lepofsky and R. Mathewes 2002. Long-Term Fire Regime Estimated from Soil Charcoal in Coastal Temperate Rainforests. Conservation Ecology 6(2):5. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-00432-060205
Mid-Holocene Glacier Peak and Mount St. Helens We Tephra Layers Detected in Lake Sediments from Southern British Columbia Using High-Resolution Techniques
A Glacier Peak tephra has been found in the mid-Holocene sediment records of two subalpine lakes, Frozen Lake in the southern Coast Mountains and Mount Barr Cirque Lake in the North Cascade Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. The age–depth relationship for each lake suggests an age of 5000–5080 14 C yr B.P. (5500–5900 cal yr B.P.) for the eruption which closely approximates the estimated age (5100–5500 14 C yr B.P.) of the Dusty Creek tephra a…
Late Quaternary paleoenvironments of Northwestern North America
Holocene Tree Line and Climate Change on the Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada
Palynological study of two subalpine ponds on the Queen Charlotte Islands reveals changes in tree line and climate during the Holocene. The findings agree with previous reconstructions, from nearby Louise Pond on the Queen Charlotte Islands, that suggest a warmer-than-present climate and higher-than-present tree lines in the early Holocene (ca. 9600–6600 14 C yr B.P.). Basal ages at SC1 Pond and Shangri-La Bog indicate that the basins did not hol…
Submerged late quaternary terrestrial deposits and paleoenvironment of northern Hecate Strait, British Columbia continental shelf, Canada
Time of Maximum Late Wisconsin Glaciation, West Coast of Canada
New data from a deep-sea core in the eastern North Pacific Ocean indicate that the western margin of the Late Wisconsin Cordilleran Ice Sheet began to retreat from its maximum position after 15,600 yr B.P. Ice-rafted detritus is present in the core below the 15,600 yr B.P. level and was deposited while lobes of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet advanced across the continental shelf in Queen Charlotte Sound, Hecate Strait, and Dixon Entrance. The core dat…
Stratigraphy and Paleoecology of Pleistocene Interstadial Sediments, Central British Columbia
Two exposures of organic-rich interstadial sediments in central British Columbia provide information on middle Wisconsinan environments and climates near the center of the region subsequently covered by the late Wisconsinan Cordilleran Ice Sheet. Interstadial sediments at Bullion Pit overlie drift of early Wisconsinan or older age and underlie thick drift of late Wisconsinan age. Alluvium (or colluvium) and peat were deposited on the floor of the…
Radiocarbon Dating of Pollen by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry
Radiocarbon dating of bulk sediments has been the standard method for establishing chronologies in the studies of lake sediment cores which have contributed significantly to our knowledge of late Quaternary paleo-environments. These bulk sediment dates are presumed to be direct ageindicators for the speciments (e.g., pollen or macrofossils) which are actually being studied. However, several recent studies have reinforced long-standing apprehensio…
Chironomids, Lake Trophic Status, and Climate
Chironomidae (Diptera) and Postglacial Climate at Marion Lake, British Columbia, Canada
Chironomid (midge) remains analyzed from an 8.95-m-long sediment core from Marion Lake reveal successional changes over the last 12,000 yr since deglaciation. A late-glacial Heterotrissocladius -dominated association characterizes the earliest sediments. Succeeding this community, at the onset of the Holocene, is a Tanytarsini-dominated assemblage. The transition between these communities occurs during a time of rapid climatic amelioration, prece…
Late Pleistocene Chronology and Environment of the “Ice-Free Corridor” of Northwestern Alberta
Pollen and macrofossil analyses of two radiocarbon-dated lake sediment cores in the upper Peace River district were used to investigate the controversial late-glacial geochronology of the “ice-free corridor.” The basal mineral-rich sediments contain reworked, radiogenically “dead” palynomorphs, as well as intrusive “modern” carbon. Analyses of the basal sediments from Boone Lake show that two 14 C ages greater than 12,000 yr B.P. are spuriously o…
Geology and Paleoecology of a Mid-Wisconsin Peat from the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada
A peat bed on east-central Graham Island of the Queen Charlotte Islands occurs within a nonglacial fluvial succession that is both overlain and underlain by glacial deposits. Radiocarbon dates of 27,500 ± 400 and 45,700 ± 970 yr B.P. at the top and base of the peat, respectively, indicate that it was deposited during the mid-Wisconsin nonglacial interval. The peat is the first documented mid-Wisconsin organic deposit in northern coastal areas of …
Climate Change and Culture Change on the Southern Coast of British Columbia 2400-1200 Cal. B.P
The Marpole phase of the Gulf of Georgia, SW British Columbia (2400–1200 cal B.P.) is recognized by many archaeologists as a significant period of culture change. Concurrent with this cultural phase is a climatic regime characterized by a substantial increase in forest fires associated with persistent summer drought: the Fraser Valley Fire Period (FVFP). Culturally, the Marpole phase is characterized by the widespread appearance of large houses, …
A 1000-year record of forest fire, drought and lake-level change in southeastern British Columbia, Canada
High-resolution charcoal analysis of lake sediments and stand-age information were used to reconstruct a 1000-year fire history around Dog Lake, which is located in the montane spruce zone of southeastern British Columbia. Macroscopic charcoal (>125,um) accumulation rates (CHAR) from lake sediment were compared with a modern stand-origin map and fire-scar dates in the Kootenay Valley to determine the relative area and proximity of fires recorded …
Midge-inferred Holocene climate history of two subalpine lakes in southern British Columbia, Canada
To investigate postglacial environmental changes in both the coastal and interior wet belts of British Columbia, fossil midges were analysed from two subalpine lakes, one adjacent to the lower Fraser canyon (Frozen Lake), and the other in Mount Revelstoke National Park (Eagle Lake). The midge stratigraphy for Frozen Lake revealed an abundance of rheophilous chironomid taxa and Simuliidae larvae, refecting the presence of an inflowing stream. An a…
Geology and Paleoecology of a Mid-Wisconsin Peat from the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada
A peat bed on east-central Graham Island of the Queen Charlotte Islands occurs within a nonglacial fluvial succession that is both overlain and underlain by glacial deposits. Radiocarbon dates of 27,500 ± 400 and 45,700 ± 970 yr B.P. at the top and base of the peat, respectively, indicate that it was deposited during the mid-Wisconsin nonglacial interval. The peat is the first documented mid-Wisconsin organic deposit in northern coastal areas of …
Late Pleistocene Chronology and Environment of the “Ice-Free Corridor” of Northwestern Alberta
Pollen and macrofossil analyses of two radiocarbon-dated lake sediment cores in the upper Peace River district were used to investigate the controversial late-glacial geochronology of the “ice-free corridor.” The basal mineral-rich sediments contain reworked, radiogenically “dead” palynomorphs, as well as intrusive “modern” carbon. Analyses of the basal sediments from Boone Lake show that two 14 C ages greater than 12,000 yr B.P. are spuriously o…
Chironomids, Lake Trophic Status, and Climate
Chironomidae (Diptera) and Postglacial Climate at Marion Lake, British Columbia, Canada
Chironomid (midge) remains analyzed from an 8.95-m-long sediment core from Marion Lake reveal successional changes over the last 12,000 yr since deglaciation. A late-glacial Heterotrissocladius -dominated association characterizes the earliest sediments. Succeeding this community, at the onset of the Holocene, is a Tanytarsini-dominated assemblage. The transition between these communities occurs during a time of rapid climatic amelioration, prece…
Radiocarbon Dating of Pollen by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry
Radiocarbon dating of bulk sediments has been the standard method for establishing chronologies in the studies of lake sediment cores which have contributed significantly to our knowledge of late Quaternary paleo-environments. These bulk sediment dates are presumed to be direct ageindicators for the speciments (e.g., pollen or macrofossils) which are actually being studied. However, several recent studies have reinforced long-standing apprehensio…
Time of Maximum Late Wisconsin Glaciation, West Coast of Canada
New data from a deep-sea core in the eastern North Pacific Ocean indicate that the western margin of the Late Wisconsin Cordilleran Ice Sheet began to retreat from its maximum position after 15,600 yr B.P. Ice-rafted detritus is present in the core below the 15,600 yr B.P. level and was deposited while lobes of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet advanced across the continental shelf in Queen Charlotte Sound, Hecate Strait, and Dixon Entrance. The core dat…
Stratigraphy and Paleoecology of Pleistocene Interstadial Sediments, Central British Columbia
Two exposures of organic-rich interstadial sediments in central British Columbia provide information on middle Wisconsinan environments and climates near the center of the region subsequently covered by the late Wisconsinan Cordilleran Ice Sheet. Interstadial sediments at Bullion Pit overlie drift of early Wisconsinan or older age and underlie thick drift of late Wisconsinan age. Alluvium (or colluvium) and peat were deposited on the floor of the…
Submerged late quaternary terrestrial deposits and paleoenvironment of northern Hecate Strait, British Columbia continental shelf, Canada
Holocene Tree Line and Climate Change on the Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada
Palynological study of two subalpine ponds on the Queen Charlotte Islands reveals changes in tree line and climate during the Holocene. The findings agree with previous reconstructions, from nearby Louise Pond on the Queen Charlotte Islands, that suggest a warmer-than-present climate and higher-than-present tree lines in the early Holocene (ca. 9600–6600 14 C yr B.P.). Basal ages at SC1 Pond and Shangri-La Bog indicate that the basins did not hol…
Mid-Holocene Glacier Peak and Mount St. Helens We Tephra Layers Detected in Lake Sediments from Southern British Columbia Using High-Resolution Techniques
A Glacier Peak tephra has been found in the mid-Holocene sediment records of two subalpine lakes, Frozen Lake in the southern Coast Mountains and Mount Barr Cirque Lake in the North Cascade Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. The age–depth relationship for each lake suggests an age of 5000–5080 14 C yr B.P. (5500–5900 cal yr B.P.) for the eruption which closely approximates the estimated age (5100–5500 14 C yr B.P.) of the Dusty Creek tephra a…
Late Quaternary paleoenvironments of Northwestern North America
Long-Term Fire Regime Estimated from Soil Charcoal in Coastal Temperate Rainforests
Lertzman, K., D. Gavin, D. Hallett, L. Brubaker, D. Lepofsky and R. Mathewes 2002. Long-Term Fire Regime Estimated from Soil Charcoal in Coastal Temperate Rainforests. Conservation Ecology 6(2):5. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-00432-060205
Paleoecology of late-glacial terrestrial deposits with in situ conifers from the submerged continental shelf of western Canada
Extensive portions of the continental shelf off the coast of British Columbia were subaerially exposed during Late Wisconsinan deglaciation due to lowering of relative sea level by as much as 150 m. Paleoecological analyses were conducted at two sites on the emergent continental shelf where terrestrial surfaces with in situ conifers are preserved. The woody plant remains confirm that, during the latest period of subaerial exposure, terrestrial ve…
A modern analogue for plant colonization of palaeotsunami sands in Cascadia, British Columbia, Canada
The sediment stratigraphy of a modern analogue for pioneer-plant colonization of palaeotsunami sands near Tofino, British Columbia, Canada, shows that a sand outcrop is continuous with a buried sand stratum deposited by tsunamis of the ad 1700 Cascadia earthquake. Plants growing on the sand outcrop form a low-marsh community that includes Triglochin maritimum, Salicornia virginica, Spergularia canadensis, Puccinellia pumila and Plantago maritima.…
A 1000-year record of forest fire, drought and lake-level change in southeastern British Columbia, Canada
High-resolution charcoal analysis of lake sediments and stand-age information were used to reconstruct a 1000-year fire history around Dog Lake, which is located in the montane spruce zone of southeastern British Columbia. Macroscopic charcoal (>125,um) accumulation rates (CHAR) from lake sediment were compared with a modern stand-origin map and fire-scar dates in the Kootenay Valley to determine the relative area and proximity of fires recorded …
Midge-inferred Holocene climate history of two subalpine lakes in southern British Columbia, Canada
To investigate postglacial environmental changes in both the coastal and interior wet belts of British Columbia, fossil midges were analysed from two subalpine lakes, one adjacent to the lower Fraser canyon (Frozen Lake), and the other in Mount Revelstoke National Park (Eagle Lake). The midge stratigraphy for Frozen Lake revealed an abundance of rheophilous chironomid taxa and Simuliidae larvae, refecting the presence of an inflowing stream. An a…
Paleoecology of Beringian “packrat” middens from central Yukon Territory, Canada
Rodent middens from ice-rich loess deposits are important new paleoenvironmental archives for Eastern Beringia. Plant macrofossils recovered from three middens associated with Dawson tephra (ca. 24,000 14 C yr B.P.) at two sites in Yukon Territory include diverse graminoids, forbs, and mosses. These data suggest substantial local scale floristic and habitat diversity in valley settings, including steppe-tundra on well-drained soils, moist streams…
Climate Change and Culture Change on the Southern Coast of British Columbia 2400-1200 Cal. B.P
The Marpole phase of the Gulf of Georgia, SW British Columbia (2400–1200 cal B.P.) is recognized by many archaeologists as a significant period of culture change. Concurrent with this cultural phase is a climatic regime characterized by a substantial increase in forest fires associated with persistent summer drought: the Fraser Valley Fire Period (FVFP). Culturally, the Marpole phase is characterized by the widespread appearance of large houses, …
Paleoecological analyses of lake sediments reveal prehistoric human impact on forests at anthony island Unesco World Heritage Site, Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii), Canada
Pollen and plant macrofossil analyses of lake sediments from Anthony Island in the southern Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii), British Columbia, reveal 1800 yr of relatively stable temperate rainforest vegetation. Cupressaceae (cedar) pollen percentages and accumulation rates decline about 1000 cal yr BP, coincident with occupation of the island by Haida peoples, who use Thuja plicata (western red cedar) almost exclusively for house construct…
A 14,000 year vegetation history of a hypermaritime island on the outer Pacific coast of Canada based on fossil pollen, spores and conifer stomata
Pollen and conifer stomata analyses of lake sediments from Hippa Island on the north coast of British Columbia were used to reconstruct the vegetation history of this small hypermaritime island. Between 14,000 and 13,230 cal yr BP, the island supported diverse herb–shrub communities dominated by Cyperaceae, Artemisia and Salix . Pinus contorta and Picea sitchensis stomata indicate that these conifers were present among the herb–shrub communities,…
High-resolution palynology, climate change and human impact on a late Holocene peat bog on Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada
Haida Gwaii (formerly Queen Charlotte Islands) is an archipelago on the outer central coast of British Columbia. Drizzle Bog on Graham Island is a Sphagnum-dominated peatland selected for a multiproxy palaeoecological analysis using pollen, spores and other microfossils to see whether climatic changes such as the ‘Mediaeval Climate Anomaly’ (MCA), ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA) and post-LIA warming could be detected in this hypermaritime region. A 90-cm-…
Paleoecology and ice limits of the early Fraser glaciation (Marine Isotope Stage 2) on Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada
Our study combines new geological and paleoecological information to reconstruct the glacial history and terrestrial paleoenvironments on Haida Gwaii during the advance phase of the Fraser glaciation (Marine Isotope Stage 2). At Cape Ball on eastern Graham Island, five accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon ages ranging from 23,200±280 to 26,650±390 14 C yr BP (ca. 27,000–31,400 cal yr BP) record the earliest approach of mainland glaciers to H…
Late Pleistocene vegetation and sedimentary charcoal at Kilgii Gwaay archaeological site in coastal British Columbia, Canada, with possible proxy evidence for human presence by 13,000 cal bp
Plant macrofossils as indicators of vegetation and climate change in the Northern Black Forest of Germany during the last millennium - with focus on the Little Ice Age
Ice Patches and Obsidian Quarries
This article presents the results of archaeological survey of ice patches in the vicinity of the vast obsidian quarries and artifact scatters found near Goat Mountain and the Kitsu Plateau in Mount Edziza Provincial Park, Tahltan Territory. During the survey, over 50 perishable artifacts were found, including stitched birch bark containers, wooden walking staffs, carved and beveled sticks, an atlatl dart foreshaft, and a stitched hide boot. Radio…
Geology and Paleoclimatology Research (23 works) · Geography (17 works) · Geology (16 works) · Holocene (15 works) · Paleontology (13 works) · Physical geography (13 works) · Archaeology (10 works) · Macrofossil (10 works) · Biology (9 works) · Ecology (9 works)