Burnet Cave (also known as Rocky Arroyo Cave of Wetmore) is an important

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

and

paleontological Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of foss ...

site located in

Eddy County, New Mexico Eddy County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 53,829. Its county seat and largest city is Carlsbad. The county was created in 1891 and later organized in 1892. It is north of the Te ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

within the

Guadalupe Mountains The Guadalupe Mountains ( es, Sierra de Guadalupe) are a mountain range located in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico. The range includes the highest summit in Texas, Guadalupe Peak, , and the "signature peak" of West Texas, El Capitan, both ...

about 26 miles west of Carlsbad.

Physical details

The cave has a southern exposure and is reported as being 21 m (70 feet) from the

canyon A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency to cu ...

floor. It has an

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § ...

of 1402 m (4600 feet) according to Shultz and Howard (1935).

Archaeological finds

The cave originally had two walls. They were removed by locals several years before professional excavation began. The locals also dug several 3 foot deep holes and removed several baskets (one containing charred bones), fragments of netting, hide, sandals, and beads. Excavation began in Burnet Cave under returning student E. B. Howard who was working under Alden Mason's Southwestern Expeditions sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology. The first southwestern trip was in 1929 and Bill Burnet showed them this cave on one of the first trips west. The early field seasons at Burnet Cave were 1930, 1931, and 1932, and they went back again in 1936 and 1937 (Howard 1936:22, 1943b). Additional survey work in the Guadalupe Mountains was done in 1934 as well but no new early sites were found (Howard 1935). Three cremated burials were found, with material, including a sper point, dating it to the Basket Maker (

Ancestral Puebloans The Ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi, were an ancient Native American culture that spanned the present-day Four Corners region of the United States, comprising southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, a ...

) culture. The first Clovis point (termed Folsom-like by the excavator) found in the modern era was excavated in situ at Burnet Cave five feet, seven inches below ground surface (well below the burial level) on the edge of a hearth with burnt bison and musk-ox bones in August 1931(UPenn Museum catalog # 31-47-36) (Boldurian and Cotter 1999:73). This find may predate the

Dent Site The Dent site is a Clovis culture (about 11,000 years before present) site located in Weld County, Colorado, near Milliken, Colorado. It provided evidence that humans and mammoths co-existed in the Americas. The site is located on an alluvial f ...

, Clovis, and all others proposed as being the first in situ Clovis find in the Americas. Howard brought this projectile point to the 1931 Pecos Conference and showed it to several people, including Frank H H Roberts (discussed in Woodbury's Pecos history- 1983). Until about 1950 Burnet Cave was considered to be among the handful of truly reliable intact Clovis sites but around that time it seems to have fallen out of favor because it was a cave, with an unusual Clovis faunule, that lacked the dramatic visions of the Mammoth-killing big game hunters myth then coming into vogue. Burnet Cave was the first multi-component Paleoindian site excavated, though no additional. The Clovis layer was four feet below the lowest layer containing

Basketmaker Basket weaving (also basketry or basket making) is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets ...

material. The fine dirt was run through a ¼" screen at the front of the cave, something quite unusual for archaeological fieldwork at this time (Boldurian and Cotter 1999:7). The poet Loren Eiseley was a member of Howard's crew and wrote scathingly about his experiences in the Guadalupe Mountains.

Paleontology finds

*Aves: '' Aechmophorus occidentalis,'' ''

Cathartes The genus ''Cathartes'' includes medium-sized to large carrion-feeding birds in the New World vulture (Cathartidae) family. The three extant species currently classified in this genus occur widely in the Americas. There is one extinct species kn ...

'' (''C. aura'' Brodkorb), ''

Coragyps ''Coragyps'' is a genus of New World vulture that contains the black vulture ''(Coragyps atratus)'' and two extinct relatives. One extinct species is the 'western' black vulture, ''Coragyps occidentalis'', a larger ancestral relative of the mod ...

(C. atratus, C. occidentalis)'', ''

Gymnogyps ''Gymnogyps'' is a genus of New World vultures in the family Cathartidae. There are five known species in the genus, with only one being extant, the California condor. Fossil species *''Gymnogyps amplus'' was first described by L. H. Miller in ...

(G. californianus amplus),'' ''

Accipiter ''Accipiter'' is a genus of birds of prey in the family Accipitridae. With 51 recognized species it is the most diverse genus in its family. Most species are called goshawks or sparrowhawks, although almost all New World species (excepting th ...

(A. cooperi)'', ''

Buteo swainsoni Swainson's hawk (''Buteo swainsoni'') is a large bird species in the Accipitriformes order. This species was named after William Swainson, a British naturalist. It is colloquially known as the grasshopper hawk or locust hawk, as it is very fond ...

'', '' Falco mexicanus'' ''

Falco sparverius The American kestrel (''Falco sparverius''), also called the sparrow hawk, is the smallest and most common falcon in North America. It has a roughly two-to-one range in size over subspecies and sex, varying in size from about the weight of ...

'', ''

Tympanuchus pallidicinctus The lesser prairie chicken (''Tympanuchus pallidicinctus'') is a species in the grouse family. Description It is a medium to large bird, striped white and brown, slightly smaller and paler than its near relative the greater prairie chicken (''T. ...

'', '' Oreortyx pictus'', ''

Meleagris gallopavo The wild turkey (''Meleagris gallopavo'') is an upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey, which was originally de ...

'', '' Grus canadensis, Bubo virginianus'', ''

Asio flammeus The short-eared owl (''Asio flammeus'') is a widespread grassland species in the family Strigidae. Owls belonging to genus ''Asio'' are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears. These "ear" tufts may or ...

'', '' Colaptes auratus'', '' Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus,'' ''

Loxia curvirostra The red crossbill or common crossbill (''Loxia curvirostra'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. Crossbills have distinctive mandibles, crossed at the tips, which enable them to extract seeds from conifer cones and oth ...

.'' *Aves (Extinct): '' Meleagris (M. crassipes)'' *Mammals: '' Antilocapra americana'', '' Bassariscus astutus'', ''

Canis latrans The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecological niche ...

,'' ''

Canis lupus The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

,'' '' Conepatus mesoleucus,'' ''

Cynomys ludovicianus The black-tailed prairie dog (''Cynomys ludovicianus'') is a rodent of the family Sciuridae found in the Great Plains of North America from about the United States-Canada border to the United States-Mexico border. Unlike some other prairie dogs, ...

,'' ''

Dipodomys Kangaroo rats, small mostly nocturnal rodents of genus ''Dipodomys'', are native to arid areas of western North America. The common name derives from their bipedal form. They hop in a manner similar to the much larger kangaroo, but developed thi ...

(D. ordi)'', ''

Felis concolor The cougar (''Puma concolor'') is a large cat native to the Americas. Its range spans from the Canadian Yukon to the southern Andes in South America and is the most widespread of any large wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere ...

'', '' Lemmiscus curtatus'', ''

Lepus Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The gen ...

(L. townsendii and L. alleni),'' ''

Lynx rufus The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the red lynx, is a medium-sized cat native to North America. It ranges from southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to Oaxaca in Mexico. It is listed as Least Concern on the ...

'', '' Marmota flaviventris,'' ''

Microtus ''Microtus'' is a genus of voles found in North America, Europe and northern Asia. The genus name refers to the small ears of these animals. About 62 species are placed in the genus. They are stout rodents with short ears, legs and tails. They ea ...

(M. lonqicaudus, M. mexicanus, M. pennsylvanicus),'' ''

Mustela nigripes The black-footed ferret (''Mustela nigripes''), also known as the American polecatHeptner, V. G. (Vladimir Georgievich); Nasimovich, A. A; Bannikov, Andrei Grigorovich; Hoffmann, Robert S. (2001)''Mammals of the Soviet Union''Volume: v. 2, pt. 1 ...

,'' '' Navajoceros fricki'', ''

Neotoma cinerea The bushy-tailed woodrat, or packrat (''Neotoma cinerea'') is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae found in Canada and the United States. Its natural habitats are boreal forests, temperate forests, dry savanna, temperate shrubland, and t ...

(N. lepida or N. stephensi, N. mexicana)'', ''

Odocoileus hemionus The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related ...

(O. virginianus),'' ''

Ovis canadensis The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of sheep native to North America. It is named for its large horns. A pair of horns might weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspe ...

'', ''

Cratogeomys ''Cratogeomys'' is a genus of rodent Rodents (from Latin , 'to gnaw') are mammals of the order Rodentia (), which are characterized by a single pair of continuously growing incisors in each of the upper and lower jaws. About 40% of al ...

'' ( ''C. castanops''), ''

Peromyscus maniculatus ''Peromyscus maniculatus'' is a rodent native to eastern North America. It is most commonly called the eastern deer mouse; when formerly grouped with the western deer mouse (''P. sonoriensis''), it was referred to as the North American deermou ...

,'' ''

Sorex The genus ''Sorex'' includes many of the common shrews of Eurasia and North America, and contains at least 142 known species and subspecies. Members of this genus, known as long-tailed shrews, are the only members of the tribe Soricini of the su ...

,'' '' Spermophilus variegatus'', '' Sylvilagus audubonii'', ( ''S. nuttallii''), ''

Taxidea taxus The American badger (''Taxidea taxus'') is a North American badger similar in appearance to the European badger, although not closely related. It is found in the western, central, and northeastern United States, northern Mexico, and south-ce ...

,'' ''

Thomomys bottae Botta's pocket gopher (''Thomomys bottae'') is a pocket gopher native to western North America. It is also known in some sources as valley pocket gopher, particularly in California. Both the specific and common names of this species honor Paul-É ...

(T. umbrinus)'', ''

Vulpes velox The swift fox (''Vulpes velox'') is a small light orange-tan fox around the size of a domestic cat found in the western grasslands of North America, such as Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. It also lives in southern M ...

(V. vulpes).'' *Mammals (Extinct): ''

Arctodus ''Arctodus'' is an extinct genus of short-faced bear that inhabited North America during the Pleistocene (~2.5 Mya until 12,000 years ago). There are two recognized species: the lesser short-faced bear (''Arctodus pristinus'') and the giant short ...

'' sp., ''

Bison antiquus ''Bison antiquus'', the antique bison or ancient bison, is an extinct species of bison that lived in Late Pleistocene North America until around 10,000 years ago. It was one of the most common large herbivores on the North American continent dur ...

'', ''

Camelops ''Camelops''Being occasionally called ''Western Camel'' or ''Yesterday's Camel''. is an extinct genus of camels that lived in North and Central America, ranging from Alaska to Guatemala, from the middle Pliocene to the end of the Pleistocene. It ...

'', '' Equus tau'', '' E. francisci'', '' Mexican Horse (E. conversidens)'', ''E. alaskae'', '' Euceratherium collinum'', '' Stockoceros onusrosagris'' *Reptilia: ''

Phrynosoma douglasii The pygmy short-horned lizard (''Phrynosoma douglasii'') is a species of small horned lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to the northwestern United States and adjacent southwestern Canada. Like other horned lizards, it is ...

'' (Rickart), ''

Phrynosoma cornutum The Texas horned lizard (''Phrynosoma cornutum'') is one of about 14 North American species of spikey-bodied reptiles called horned lizards, all belonging the genus ''Phrynosoma''. It occurs in south-central regions of the US and northeastern Me ...

'' (Rickart), '' Crotaphytus collaris'' (Rickart), '' Sceloporus'' (Rickart).

References

*Emslie, S. D. 1987. Age and diet of fossil California condors in Grand Canyon, Arizona. Science 237:768-770. *Harris, A. H. 1985. Late Pleistocene vertebrate paleoecology of the West. University of Texas Press, Austin, 293 pp. *Hester, J. J. 1960. Late Pleistocene extinction and radiocarbon dating. American Antiquity 26:58-77. *Howard, E. B. 1932. Caves along the slopes of the Guadalupe Mountains. Texas Archeological and Paleontological Society 4:7-20. *Howard, H. 1962. Bird remains from a prehistoric cave deposit in Grant County, New Mexico. Condor 64:241-242. *Howard, H. 1968. Limb measurements of the extinct vulture, Coragyps occidentalis. Pp. 115–128, ''in'' Collected papers in honor of Lyndon Lane Hargrave (A. H. Schroeder, ed.). Papers of the Archaeological Society of New Mexico 1. *Howard, H. 1974. Postcranial elements of the extinct condor Breagyps clarki (Miller). Contributions in Science, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 256:1-24. *Howard, H., and A. H. Miller. 1933. Bird remains from cave deposits in New Mexico. Condor 35:15-18. *Murray, Keith F., "Pleistocene Climate and the Fauna of Burnet Cave, New Mexico", Ecology, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 129–32, 1957 *Rea, A. M. 1980. Late Pleistocene and Holocene turkeys in the Southwest. Contributions in Science, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 330:209-224. *Rickart, E. A. 1977. Pleistocene lizards from Burnet and Dark Canyon caves, Guadalupe Mountain, New Mexico. Southwestern Naturalist 21:519-522. *Schultz, C. B., and E. B. Howard. 1935. The fauna of Burnet Cave, Guadalupe Mountains, New Mexico. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 87:273-298. *Schultz, C. B., L. D. Martin, and L. G. Tanner. 1970. Mammalian distribution in the Great Plains and adjacent areas from 14,000 to 9,000 years ago. AMQUA Abstract, 1st Meeting, 1970:119-120.
University of Texas - El Paso, Pleistocene Vertebrates of New Mexico and Trans-Pecos Texas
*Wetmore, A. 1931. The California condor in New Mexico. Condor 33:76-77. *Wetmore, A. 1932. Additional records of birds from cavern deposits in New Mexico. Condor 34:141-142.

External links

Burnet Cave: Evidence of Early Man in North America - Edgar B. Howard - The Museum Journal - vol. XXIV, no. 2-3, 1935

Burnet Cave (Pleistocene of the United States), Paleontology Database
{{Navbox prehistoric caves Clovis sites Native American history of New Mexico Archaeological sites in New Mexico Pre-Columbian archaeological sites Cenozoic paleontological sites of North America Paleozoology Caves of New Mexico Landforms of Eddy County, New Mexico Paleontology in New Mexico

Physical details

Archaeological finds

Paleontology finds

See also

References

External links