Pollen Stratigraphy and Age of an Early Postglacial Beaver Site Near Columbus, Ohio
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1967-03
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Abstract
A former bog, buried under urban debris, was exposed during foundation excavation at Refugee Road, southeast Columbus, Ohio. Pollen samples were collected at two-inch intervals from 2 to 7 1/2 feet below the present surface.
The uppermost 3 feet of peat, overlying 2 1/2 feet of detritus gyttja, contained numerous pieces of spruce (Picea), willow (Salix), and juniper (Juniperus). Many pieces showed beaver toothmarks and were presumably a part of a beaver dam or lodge. Because of their small width, the beaver toothmarks are interpreted as representing those of the common beaver, Castor canadensis. Pollen analyses indicate that beaver occupied the site more than 12,000 years ago, and that the site was abandoned prior to the increase in oak and other hardwood pollen which marks the beginning of the hypsithermal interval.
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Author Institution: Department of Botany and Bacteriology, Ohio Wesleyan University
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The Ohio Journal of Science. v67 n2 (March, 1967), 96-105