Mapping, Surface Collection, and Soil Coring Investigations at AZ T:4:150(ASM), A Multicomponent Rockshelter Site at Lake Pleasant Regional Park, Yavapai County, Arizona

At the request of the Bureau of Reclamation–Phoenix Area Office, ACS conducted surface collection, mapping, and soil coring at AZ T:4:150(ASM), a multicomponent rockshelter site in Lake Pleasant Regional Park. The site is being impacted by increased visitation and Reclamation is seeking to mitigate those impacts. The investigations identified four features; these included a thermal pit (Feature 1), a rock ring (Feature 2), the rockshelter (Feature 3), and a previously unrecorded rockpile (Feature 4) on the outcrop above the rockshelter. Ten soil core and auger probes were placed along two transects in and adjacent to the rockshelter boundaries, providing two roughly perpendicular profiles. The soil coring revealed that intact subsurface cultural deposits are present inside and adjacent to the rockshelter; a possible looter’s pit was also identified in the central portion of the rockshelter. These investigations confirmed that the site has the potential to yield important information about the Prehistoric, Protohistoric, and Historic period occupations of the Lake Pleasant area. The work at AZ T:4:150(ASM) was conducted in phases, and the current report documents on the results of mapping, surface collection, and soil coring at the site, with recommendations for data recovery based on the outcome of these tasks. Photos from this project can be found at tDAR IDs: 391290 and 391292. The photologs can be found at tDAR IDs: 391291 and 391293.