Harold B. Bud Rollins (1 February 1939-9 January 2017)

This is an appreciation of the life and work of invertebrate paleontologist. Harold B. Rollins emphasizing his contributions to our understanding of ENSO

Collaborative Research: Molluscan Radiocarbon as a Proxy for Upwelling in Holocene Peru

Abstract: Under this award the PI will measure 14C in independently dated Peruvian mollusks from multiple time intervals to define long-term trends in upwelling variation. Upwelling is a defining factor of El Nino-southern oscillation (ENSO) in the eastern Pacific, particularly along the coast of Peru. Historical records of this phenomenon are limited and older proxy records in this region are few. The proposal will exploit the ventilation age difference between equatorial surface and deeper upwelled waters. The detection of El Nino events will be made by screening for shell increment alteration and by sequential d18O analysis. The simultaneous excursions in d 18O and D14C in molluscan shell identify periods of upwelling variation caused by El Ninos. By providing data of Peruvian Holocene upwelling this project will provide understanding of paleo-ENSO and give insight into past deep water circulation. Furthermore, the large increase in the database of regional D R data will improve age-dating in many disciplines. Broader impacts of this research also include graduate and undergraduate student training through participation in all stages of research

Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Early Human Settlement of the High-Altitude Pucuncho Basin, Southern Peruvian Andes

Under the direction of Dr. Daniel Sandweiss, Mr. Kurt Rademaker will collect data for his doctoral dissertation research. His project focuses on determining the timing of early human occupation in the Andes Mountains. Human settlement of Earth\u27s high-altitude mountains and plateaus is among the most recent of our species\u27 bio-geographic expansions. Current anthropological models emphasize the physiographic and biological challenges inherent to these extreme environments to explain a lack of pre-11,000 year-old archaeological evidence above 3500 m elevation in the Andes and on the high Tibetan Plateau. However few archaeological studies targeting hunter-gatherer sites have been conducted in these areas.This interdisciplinary project\u27s primary objectives are to better understand the timing, environmental setting, and adaptations involved in human settlement of the high Andes of southern Peru. Rademaker\u27s investigations so far have led to the discovery of early archaeological sites in the Pucuncho Basin, a wetland oasis ringed by glaciated volcanoes and situated at ~4500 m (~14,760 ft) elevation. One of these sites, Cuncaicha rockshelter, has yielded preliminary radiocarbon dates that indicate an initial settlement of this high-altitude area between 12,400 and 11,800 years ago. These dates establish Cuncaicha as one of the oldest known directly-dated archaeological sites in the Andes Mountains and the highest ice-age site yet discovered anywhere in the world.The final laboratory phase of this dissertation project, to be funded by NSF, will significantly strengthen the preliminary chronological data from Cuncaicha shelter and provide information on the development of local habitats important to Andean animals and people for successful colonization of high-altitude zones. Rademaker will obtain additional radiocarbon dates for the Cuncaicha rockshelter site and the nearby Rio Blanco geologic section. These archaeological and paleoecologic data will be directly comparable with local glacial geologic records, and these comparisons will shed light on links between late ice-age climatic change, the formation of Andean habitats, and early human settlement of extreme high-altitude environments. This project will have several broad impacts. By conducting pretreatment of samples at the University of Arizona accelerator mass spectrometry lab, Rademaker will receive valuable training in archaeological scientific methodology. Completion of this dissertation project will yield numerous peer-reviewed journal publications and ultimately lead to publication of an edited volume for a more general audience. The project team has given, and will continue to give, guest lectures at Peruvian and North American universities, in addition to presenting scientific results at professional meetings at home and abroad. Since 2005 this project has provided limited temporary economic benefits to some local inhabitants of the Pucuncho Basin who have assisted in surveys and excavation and provided related support for the project team. The team has brought medicine, vitamins, and educational materials for the school children in Pucuncho\u27s three villages and worked to instill a conservation ethic about archaeological remains in the region. Continued scientific work in the Pucuncho area, which will build upon this Ph.D. dissertation project, will undoubtedly reinforce this ethic and yield additional valuable information on climatic change, ecology, and human prehistory