Work

An inland arctic biface production site in the Northern Brooks Range (Alaska, USA)

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This paper presents initial results from an exploratory ground survey and test excavation conducted near Galbraith Lake in the Atigun Valley of Alaska's central Brooks Range. Combining pedestrian survey with UAV-based aerial reconnaissance, the study aimed to identify prehistoric campsites and assess site formation processes in this inland Arctic landscape. A limited test excavation at site PSM-077 revealed a lithic assemblage dominated by bifaces and debitage, consistent with on-site lithic reduction activities during the early-to-middle Holocene. Although stratigraphic integrity has been affected by periglacial processes, two radiocarbon dates indicate episodes of site use at approximately 10,500–10,250 and 4800–4500 cal BP. These ages, together with the characteristics of the lithic assemblage, suggest anthropogenic activity potentially involving both American Paleoarctic and Northern Archaic traditions. These findings highlight the long-term use of strategic locations along inland corridors by Arctic hunter-gatherers over several millennia and underscore the importance of continued research in the interior of northern Alaska. Future work integrating landscape-based survey methods, lithic analysis, radiocarbon data, and Indigenous knowledge offers a promising avenue for refining interpretations of human-environment interactions among prehistoric hunter-gatherers in the Brooks Range.

Source: Quaternary International

DOI: 10.1016/j.quaint.2026.110256

Authors: Noah Steuri, Crystal L. Glasburn, Albert Hafner, Joshua D. Reuther, Gino Caspari