New Paris Sinkhole No. 4
Basic information
Sample name: New Paris Sinkhole No. 4
Reference: J. E. Guilday, P. S. Martin, and A. D. McCrady. 1964. New Paris No. 4: a Pleistocene cave deposit in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Bulletin of the National Speleological Society 26(4):121-193 [ER 3218]
Geography
Country: United States
State: Pennsylvania
County: Bedford
Coordinate: 40° 5' N, 79° 39' W
Latlng basis: stated in text
Time interval: Late Pleistocene
Ma: 0.0113
Age basis: radiocarbon (uncalibrated)
Geography comments: "2.4 km [1.5 mi.] northeast of New Paris"
the lower "nine to six meters" belongs to the "Hudsonian zone" and the upper "six to four meters, may correspond to the Alleröd of Europe"
there is a date on charcoal of "11, 300 +/- 1, 000 yrs. B.P." from a depth of 4.6 m and another of "9, 540 +/- 500 yrs. B.P." on small mammal bones at a depth of 5.2 to 6.4 m, and the latter is rejected because the "date was a short run" (presumed to be uncalibrated because errors are symmetrically distributed)
the lower "nine to six meters" belongs to the "Hudsonian zone" and the upper "six to four meters, may correspond to the Alleröd of Europe"
there is a date on charcoal of "11, 300 +/- 1, 000 yrs. B.P." from a depth of 4.6 m and another of "9, 540 +/- 500 yrs. B.P." on small mammal bones at a depth of 5.2 to 6.4 m, and the latter is rejected because the "date was a short run" (presumed to be uncalibrated because errors are symmetrically distributed)
Environment
Lithology: limestone
Taphonomic context: cave, pitfall trap
Habitat comments: matrix was "rich in organic inclusions (bone, pollen charcoal)" and the walls and original roof of the pitfall were limestone
"Deposition took the form of a conical talus" in the pitfall trap
"many of the skeletons" were "still in articulation" although there "must have been some disturbance", the fill was "homogeneous", and there was "uneven deposition" (meaning that material fell down the talus)
"Deposition took the form of a conical talus" in the pitfall trap
"many of the skeletons" were "still in articulation" although there "must have been some disturbance", the fill was "homogeneous", and there was "uneven deposition" (meaning that material fell down the talus)
Methods
Life forms: bats, carnivores, rodents, ungulates, other small mammals, birds, frogs
Excluded forms: birds, frogs, salamanders
Sampling methods: quarry, screenwash
Sample size: 3925 specimens
Years: 1956 - 1963
Net or trap nights: 0
kg screened: 56699
Basal area status: not applicable
Sampling comments: a "screen of 1.5 mm mesh" was used to wash "125 tons of matrix" (i.e., 125, 000 pounds or 56, 699 kg)
salamanders "have not been studied" and salamanders, Hyla cf. crucifer, and snakes are listed but not inventoried
no specimen counts are given for five additional species of birds
salamanders "have not been studied" and salamanders, Hyla cf. crucifer, and snakes are listed but not inventoried
no specimen counts are given for five additional species of birds
Metadata
Sample no: 3538
Contributor no: John Alroy
Enterer: John Alroy
Created: 2019-09-14 14:38:27
Modified: 2023-09-11 10:46:37
Abundance distribution
Each square represents a species. Square sizes are proportional to counts. Values are logged.
Statistics
44 species
7 singletons
total count 3925
geometric series index: 57.5
Fisher's α: 6.941
geometric series k: 0.8558
Hurlbert's PIE: 0.8991
Shannon's H: 2.716
Good's u: 0.9982
Register
| Anaxyrus americanus | 168 | |
| "Bufo americanus" (two subspecies found at different levels) | ||
| Lithobates pipiens | 130 | |
| "Rana pipiens" (limb bones are not counted) | ||
| Lithobates sylvaticus | 1 | |
| "Rana sylvatica" | ||
| Pedioecetes phasianellus | 1 | |
| Meleagris gallopavo | 9 | 7.8 kg |
| Condylura cristata | 16 | 52.2 g |
| Parascalops breweri | 4 | |
| Sorex hoyi | 30 | |
| "Microsorex hoyi" | ||
| Sorex cinereus | 83 | 4.1 g |
| Sorex fumeus | 1 | 8.5 g |
| Sorex dispar | 5 | 4.5 g |
| Sorex arcticus | 15 | 8.1 g |
| Sorex palustris | 1 | 11.4 g |
| Blarina brevicauda | 92 | 15.1 g |
| compared to kirtlandi and an unnamed "Pleistocene form" | ||
| Myotis keenii | 342 | 4.7 g |
| Myotis cf. lucifugus | 154 | 7.4 g |
| Perimyotis cf. subflavus | 27 | 5.0 g |
| compared to "Pipistrellus subflavus" | ||
| †Eptesicus cf. grandis (house bat) | 3 | |
| Marmota monax | 6 | 4.5 kg |
| Ictidomys tridecemlineatus | 24 | |
| "Citellus tridecemlineatus" | ||
| Tamias striatus | 66 | 113.0 g |
| Glaucomys sabrinus | 55 | 93.4 g |
| Glaucomys volans | 4 | 67.4 g |
| Tamiasciurus hudsonicus tenuidens | 78 | 187.0 g |
| Neotoma cf. floridana | 8 | 252.0 g |
| Peromyscus cf. maniculatus | 414 | 19.1 g |
| Peromyscus cf. leucopus | 21 | 21.0 g |
| Dicrostonyx hudsonius | 10 | |
| Synaptomys cooperi | 33 | 29.0 g |
| Synaptomys borealis | 168 | 21.3 g |
| Myodes gapperi | 634 | |
| "Clethrionomys gapperi" | ||
| Microtus pennsylvanicus | 174 | 35.7 g |
| Microtus chrotorrhinus | 49 | 33.0 g |
| Microtus xanthognathus | 809 | 68.5 g |
| Microtus pinetorum | 23 | |
| "Pitymys pinetorum" | ||
| Ondatra zibethicus | 3 | |
| Zapus hudsonius | 8 | 15.6 g |
| Napaeozapus insignis | 37 | 22.7 g |
| Erethizon dorsatum | 3 | |
| Lepus americanus | 211 | 1.4 kg |
| teeth are fully inventoried, but there is "skeletal material representing at least 49 animals" (included in the count) | ||
| Martes americana (American marten) | 1 | 946.0 g |
| Pekania pennanti (fisher) | 1 | |
| "Martes pennanti" | ||
| Mustela nivalis (least weasel) | 2 | 61.7 g |
| "Mustela rixosa" | ||
| †Mylohyus nasutus (peccary) | 1 | |