A Statistical Investigation of Landscape Adaptations across the Walker Lake Basin, Nevada

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the archaeological record of the Walker Lake basin in western Nevada using a series of statistical tests that compare the distribution of artifacts by age and landscape features. I used the patterns observed to test existing models for mobility, landscape use, and behavioral adaptations for the Great Basin and to place the Walker Lake basin in the context of other regional sub-basins. The results of this study show that the Walker Lake basin generally conforms to broad patterns of landscape use and behavioral adaptations observed in the Great Basin. At the same time, the region shows unique patterns relative to other sub-basins, including upland focused Paleoindian groups, evidence of higher overall mobility, and increased sedentism in the latest period, contra the Carson Sink record. The results provide a model for future work by investigating the entire landscape to broadly define human behavioral adaptations.