Population Density and Movement Reflected in AMS Dates from the Permian Basin

Permian Basin Programmatic Agreement (PA) Task Order Number 10 consisted of collecting 500 samples of soil containing charcoal and other charred material from features in previously recorded sites within the Carlsband, new Mexico Bureau of Land Management (BLM-CFO) field office. With a few exceptions, the samples were acquired from sites located in the Permian Basin PA area and small sites with one or two recorded features were chosen when possible. These samples were then examined in a laboratory to identify charred plant remains, as well as microscopic remains of starch and phytoliths produced by plants when they were alive. Charcoal from each sample was processed for an Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon date. AMS dates require only a small sample size and annual plant remains, for instance, acorn caps or fragments of sunflower plants, were dated if present. This article is focused on the AMS dates from the 500 samples.