I’m an archaeologist evolved in a long term research project centered on the American Southwest; more specifically the late 13th century collapse of Salado culture of the central Arizona Upland, its brief reorganization in the early 14th century and its final systems failure and disintegration around 1400. Several years ago we published a paper (2001 Exploring the Gila Horizon. In Kiva 66(4)) that demonstrated a strong case for the rapid abandonment and reoccupation of much of the Tonto-Globe area with similar impacts on much of east-central and southeast Arizona, all centered upon 1300.

Herein, we employed a number of ceramic seriations each focused on discrete geographic/traditional areas. Collectively we sorted the available decorated ceramic data accorded to basic ware types from excavated contexts recovered at several hundred late prehistoric sites. Overall this sample included only assemblages from habitation sites occupied for at least several decades between 1100 and 1400. The general analysis of these data was based simply upon dominant ware types found in each geographic/traditional area.

In each of the various geographic/traditional areas this methodology identified virtually the same pattern; an extreme bifurcation separating those settlement dominated by Whitewares occupied before 1300 from those established after 1300 and dominated by either Salado Redwares, White Mountain Redware or Northern Mexican Polychromes. There was virtually no overlap. For example in the Tonto-Globe area, assemblages from about a hundred sites established before 1300 all but one small residential loci was abandoned before 1300. In contrast, all of the large habitation sites occupied after 1300, none were established before 1300.

This finding was correlated with a survey of the chronometrics surrounding the critical ware type (Salado or Roosevelt Redware particularly Gila Polychrome) in order to establish a baseline temporal context for the applicable seriations. We also used ceramic seriations from key chronometric sites; comparing these to those from the appropriate geographic/traditional areas. In the mid and late 90’s it was apparent that the bifurcations represented the boundary between the MWP and LIA, however direct causality was of course a spillover from the Great Drought (1275 -1295). Nonetheless, over the last decade its become increasingly more clear that we are looking at an extremely small aspect of a much larger cyclical climatic oscillation pattern.

We’re now in the process of writing a series of reports that includes a much larger and more focused data set which correlates ceramics with architectural and settle system patterns from a very large number of sites. Thus, I find Miller’s work intriguing. However, I’m also finding the mechanics as far as the radiocarbon sampling a bit difficult to follow. This is because I understand the C14 curve is extremely unreliable at this particular juncture due to rapid changes in the ratios of atmospheric gases. As I’m very much out of my depth here could someone here please explain how Miller established 1300 as the transit and how he has linked this boundary to volcanism?

This might be relevant to your discussion here, and if not relevant, maybe interesting anyhow. A couple of years ago on my blog I did a post on global warming alarmist Stephen Schneider’s (now deceased) appearance on the 1970′s TV show In Search Of…. In this case the subject matter was: In Search Of…The Coming Ice Age. I posted the video due to the irony of Schneider’s appearance on his show compared to his pronouncements in more recent years. Anyway, a much younger Gifford Miller appeared on this show, and they filmed his appearance on Baffin Island, and he discusses that evidence on Baffin Island indicates a cooling and drying trend for the last 3,000 years, etc.

Here’s the segment (1st of 3) that features Miller (his appearance starts at 5:30 in the video)…

…and for all three segements of the show for those intersted, it is here on my blog…

http://algorelied.com/?p=2839

There would be no need for Steve to even do this if the mainstream climate scientists/advocates/communicators he has had to audit would stop being sneaky and deceptive, and would archive the actual data and code that they actually used, when they used it, without needing to be prompted.

It would also be nice if they would stop crying and whining. I know nothing of science, but I do know that it has to be checked and verified many times before it can be the basis of worldwide public policy.

The fact is, neilr, that your heroes just don’t want anyone to check their work. It’s really that simple isn’t it?

The truth is, is

The reason that most of these streams
Focus mostly on work of the Team’s
Is that source code’s not there
And the data is spare
The result’s often not what it seems

The topic of this exact thread
Is interpreting varves, and the spread
Of the warmth and the cold
Different researchers told
Not what you think it should be instead

===|==============/ Keith DeHavelle

I would suggest unless future comments are directed to the topic in the head post, they might be considered as OT.