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The Changing Ecophysical Landscape of Southern Alberta During the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene

Abstract Competing models of Late Wisconsinan glacial advance, coalescence and retreat entail different opportunities for early human occupation of the developing ecophysicallandscape of interior western Canada. Of the current models, one postulates prolonged ice coalescence while the second suggests brief coalescence followed by a prolonged interval of deglaciation. Before we can model human occupation of the recently deglaciated landscape then, it is necessary to understand the changing physical landforms and ecological landscapes as these influence not only the opportunities for settlement but also the chances of site preservation. This paper reviews recent evidence on the developing ecophysical landscape of southern Alberta during the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. Our review of this evidence appears to support a model of rapid deglaciation sometime around 12,000 years ago with an equally rapid colonization of the recently deglaciated landscapes by plants, animals, and people.