Adair-Steadman (41FS2) — Survey at a Folsom Site in the Brazos River drainage on the Southern Plains

Abstract

Excavations led by Texas State Archeologist Curtis Tunnell from 1969-1974 identified Adair-Steadman (41FS2) as a Folsom period tool production workshop primarily aimed at producing Folsom points. The Lubbock Lake Landmark’s regional research program continued the exploration of Adair-Steadman through five annual 1-day surveys from 2015-2019. An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) drone was flown to document the site’s surface using photogrammetry. Dating sediment samples collected in 2013, using the Optical Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) technique, was completed in 2016. Blossoming mesquite trees were treated with alcohol-based herbicides to maintain the natural landscape at Adair-Steadman in the absence of fire. Results from pedestrian survey indicates that the exposure of new lithic objects from erosion has slowed down over the last five years. A new lithic cluster area was identified that could be an indicator of an activity area with a subsurface component. A 3D dense cloud, a high resolution digital elevation model, and a high resolution orthomosiac map was created from the overlapping images captured by the UAV. This information was useful in documenting the current surface at Adair-Steadman and monitoring changes in the future. Results from OSL dating indicated that the clay band (a lamellae layer) identified and sampled in 2013 may provide a reliable stratigraphic marker. The sediments above the lamellae layer were late Holocene in age. In contrast, the sediments below the lamellae layer dated to the middle Holocene.