Carbon Dating Prehistoric Soot from Salts Cave, Kentucky

Abstract

The interiors of two large Kentucky caves — Mammoth Cave and nearby Salts Cave, both within Mammoth Cave National Park — were much visited and utilized by prehistoric Indians. Large quantities of artifacts and numerous other evidences of human activity are still present in both caves, especially in undisturbed portions of Salts Cave. Most of the remains comprise perishable materials of vegetable fiber and wood, and plants or plant parts carried into the caves by the aboriginal inhabitants of the region. Several collections of artifacts gathered 40 or 50 years ago from the surface in the Mammoth Cave area have recently been examined by D. W. Schwartz of the University of Kentucky. One such collection hints at a village site of the late Archaic-Early Woodland time range somewhere near the entrance to Salts Cave. In 1961, specimens of the black-brown ceiling and wall deposits which are quite extensive in parts of both Salts and Mammoth caves were collected and analyzed. The deposits were found to be soot, presumably from aboriginal torches and hearths whose remains occur plentifully in some areas of the caves. A sample of soot from Salts Cave was submitted for radiocarbon determination; the resulting date is 3075 ± 140 B.P. Two dates had been previously obtained by the National Park Service from artifacts in Mammoth Cave: 2230 ± 40 B.P. and 2370 ± 60 B.P. These three dates support the suggestion of a late Archaic-Early Woodland placement for the prehistoric activity in Salts and Mammoth caves.

Algological investigations in Mammoth Cave, Kentucky

“…In Mammoth Cave's Crystal Lake, fed by seeping rather than running waters, physical changes are less and occur more regularly. The average an- nual rainfall for this region is from 45 to 50 inches (Benington et al, 1962;Lobeck, 1929; Smith, 1964; Watson and Smith, 1963). \Vhile the existence of these caves has been known since before the 15th century, B. C., extensive exploration did not begin until the late 19th and early 20th centuries.…”

Age of Black Coloured Laminae Within Speleothems from Domica Cave and Its Significance for Dating of Prehistoric Human Settlement

“…Gradziński et al (2003) described such laminae in stalagmites and flowstones from the caves of southern Poland. Similar origin was ascribed to black material found on the surface of cave walls in United States (Bennington et al, 1962, Watson, 1966Hill, 1982;Steelman et al, 2002). The spectacular black coloured laminae were detected in speleothems from Domica cave (Roth, 1948;Petránek and Pouba, 1951;Gradziński et al, 2002), which is famous for human occupation during Neolithic period representing especially the Bükk culture (Bárta, 1965;Lichardus, 1968).…”

Origin of black coloured laminae in speleothems from the Kraków‐Wieluń; Upland, Poland

“…The origin of these laminae has been connected with the smoke of domestic fires and torches of prehistoric man. The black substance detected on the walls and ceilings, as well as on the external surface of speleothems, in the Kentucky caves was similar in origin (Bennington et al 1962;Watson 1966;Hill 1982).…”

“…They are known from various marine deposits, subaerial carbonates, lacustrine deposits, other continental deposits (see special issue edited by Scott et al (2000) and references therein) as well as cave deposits (Bennington et al 1962;Watson 1966;Hill 1982;Brook et al 1990;Lauritzen et al 1990). Charcoal particles are an indicator of wood combustion taking place simultaneously or earlier than the sedimentation of charcoalbearing deposits (Patterson et al 1987).…”