Frank Vento, PhD, Clarion University of Pennsylvania

1. Genetic Stratigraphy and Late Holocene
(Neo-Atlantic/Medieval Warm Period)
Paleosols and their relationship to
Prehistoric Agriculture

Dr. F. J. Vento, PG-001831-G, RPA

Clarion University of Pennsylvania, Department of
Geology, Clarion, Pa. 16214

2. Figure 3. Idealized soil
stratigraphic profile for the
Susquehanna River
Valley.

3. Figure 10. Block excavation unit at the Gould Island Site, Luzerne
County, PA (36LU105) along Susquehanna River. Note occurrence
of stacked soil sequa and now-buried cumulic A horizons
associated with the Neo and Sub Atlantic phases.

4. Gould Island, Neo-Atlantic paleosol on levee margin,
3 m below ground surface. Same paleosol on high
part of island is less than 50 cm below ground
surface.

5. Elk Creek, Erie County, Neo-Atlantic
paleosol

6. Neo-Atlantic paleosol Treichler Bridge
Site, Lehigh River.

7. Paleosol on northern coast of Puerto
Rico dates to the Neo-Atlantic climatic
phase.

9. Salinoid burial associated with
paleosol

10. Hopkins Farm Site, near Tionesta on
Allegheny River. Note upper Neo-
Atlantic paleosol.

11. Note Neo-Atlantic paleosol (upper dark cumulic buried A
horizon) at the Frenchtown Site along the Delaware River.
Also note fragic B horizon which contained bifurcate in
upper part and Kirk serrate in lower part of horizon.

12. Has nothing to do with agriculture or Pennsylvania.
This is a 4 million year old paleosol north of Taos,
NM along the Rio Grande River. Note that paleosol
has been baked red by lava flow. Just a cool photo I
took this summer.

13. Note Neo-Atlantic paleosol along
Allegheny River south of Tionesta.
The site is dam old and has a
probable Clovis occupation.

15. Figure 4.
Diagramatic table
showing
relationship of
climate episodes
with pollen zones,
climatic and fluvial
response, and
genetic horizons.

16. Figure 7. Schematic cross-section showing paleosol development
on a Late Wisconsin Terrace.

17. Figure 8. Geologic cross-section of French Creek access area,
Crawford County, Pennsylvania.

18. Figure 5. Penecontemporaneous soil stratigraphic profiles showing
paleosols (genetic units) within the Susquehanna River drainage
basin.

19. Figure 6. Soil stratigraphic profiles showing penecontemporaneous
paleosols (genetic units) in geographically separated drainage
basins.

20. Figure 9. Schematic
showing relationship of
stream order to the age
and number of soil sequa.

21. Figure 12. Schematic showing approximate location of ice front
during retreat by time.

22. Figure 16. Approximate
location of Ice Sheet
margin and Jet Stream
path from 22,000 B.P. to
present.