Digging Deeper: Where is the Geoduck (Panopea generosa) in Archaeological Shell Middens?
Research Mentor(s)
Campbell, Sarah
Description
The large bivalve, Pacific Geoduck (Panopea generosa) has rarely been reported or identified in Northwest Coast shell middens. Due to its large meat yield and relative ubiquity within the Salish Sea region, it seems unlikely that geoduck was not exploited in prehistory. In the process of sorting shell samples from the Tse-whit-zen site (45-CA-523), thin, flat body fragments that appeared more consistent with geoduck than other clams were found, but they lacked definitive morphological characteristics such as hinges. To attempt to confirm the tentative identification, crystallographic textures were examined. I utilized a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to determine crystallographic textures of three prevalent species of shellfish found in Puget Sound; Macoma, Panopea, and Tresus. I found that all species examined displayed different crystallographic textures. Therefore crystallographic texture analysis may function as a method of determining the presence of geoduck within shell middens in the absence of readily identifiable specimens.
Document Type
Event
Start Date
15-5-2015 10:00 AM
End Date
15-5-2015 2:00 PM
Department
Marine Biology
Genre/Form
student projects; posters
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Pacific geoduck--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Bivalve culture--Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.)
Type
Image
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this documentation for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Digging Deeper: Where is the Geoduck (Panopea generosa) in Archaeological Shell Middens?
The large bivalve, Pacific Geoduck (Panopea generosa) has rarely been reported or identified in Northwest Coast shell middens. Due to its large meat yield and relative ubiquity within the Salish Sea region, it seems unlikely that geoduck was not exploited in prehistory. In the process of sorting shell samples from the Tse-whit-zen site (45-CA-523), thin, flat body fragments that appeared more consistent with geoduck than other clams were found, but they lacked definitive morphological characteristics such as hinges. To attempt to confirm the tentative identification, crystallographic textures were examined. I utilized a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to determine crystallographic textures of three prevalent species of shellfish found in Puget Sound; Macoma, Panopea, and Tresus. I found that all species examined displayed different crystallographic textures. Therefore crystallographic texture analysis may function as a method of determining the presence of geoduck within shell middens in the absence of readily identifiable specimens.