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Declassified record · U.S. Department of Energy

Class III Cultural Resources Reconnaissance of Area 2 Looksee Site at Foot Coordiantes N871, 800/E656, 700, Yucca Flat, Nevada. Short Report

Dated
Dec 1, 1982
Document type
Report
Length
2 pages
Open the original scanArchive record OSTI ID 16287201 · public domain

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Machine-read from the scan, so expect some errors. Lines that couldn’t be read are left out.

Page 1

DESERT RESEARCH INSTITUTE CULTURAL RESOURCES RECONNAISSANCE PROJECT: Class III Cultural Resources Reconnaissance of Area 2 Looksee Site at Foot Coordinates N871 ,800/E656,700, Yucca Flat, Nevada. GEOGRAPHIC AND NTS AREA: Yucca Flat, Nye County, Nevada; NTS Area 2. MAP REFERENCE: U.S.G.S. Rainier Mesa 7.5' Quadrangle, Nye County, Nevada. DATE OF FIELD RECONNAISSANCE: December 1, 1982 PERSONNEL: Lonnie C. Pippin PREVIOUS CULTURAL RESOURCES STUDIES IN AREA: Systematic archaeological surveys have not been conducted in Yucca Flat. However, several preconstruction surveys have been preformed in the vicinity of the porposed exploratory drill hole at the Area 2 Looksee Site. Four of these surveys, SR070182-1 to SR070182-4 were along seismic lines, one of which (SR070182-4) occurs about 1 km south of the proposed drill pad site. The remaining preconstruction reconnaissance, SR092082-1 , encompassed a 3000 ft square area at U9cw, 9 km east of the current project area. These surveys disclosed two isolated obsidian biface fragments, 26Ny3120 and S092082DB1. Both bifaces were collected at the time of their The proposed Drill Hole Pad lies on an eastward sloping (6$) bajada of the Eleana Range into Yucca Flat. Erosion has dissected this, apparently Pleistocene age, bajada with several shallow (50 cm to 1 m) ephemeral washes filled with limited amounts of Holocene alluvium. The upper bajada surface, typified by a moderately well developed desert pavement, supports a floral community dominated by blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima), bladder sage (Salazaria mexiaana), and grass (Sitanion hystvix ?) with scattered but common occurrences of spiny hop-sage (Grayia spinosa), desert thorne visaidiflorus spp. stenophyllus). Also present are silver cholla {Opuntia eahinocarpa), Yucca {Yucaa bacada), Indian rice grass (Oryzopsis hymenoides), bur sage [Ambrosia dumosa) and various Compositae. Evidence of fauna observed during the reconnaissance include pocket gopher mounds, burrow or wild horse scats, and various rodent holes.

Page 2

RECONNAISSANCE METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The Area 2 Looksee drill pad will directly impact a circular area approximately 3100 ft (915 m) in diameter. The drill hole center (Foot Coordinates 871,800N/656,700E) had been flagges prior to the reconnaissance and flags had been tied at the four cardinal directions 1600 ft from this center point. The archaeological survey of the project area was preformed by walking a 30 m wide, spiral shaped transect starting at the flagged drill hole center and extending to a distance of 1600 ft from that center.. In addition, several wandering transects were walked across the project area during the area characterization. IDENTIFIED CULTURAL RESOURCES: No cultural resources were discovered in the project area. ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS: Because cultural resources do not occur in the project area, the proposed drill pad will not adversely impact the cultural resources of RECOMMENDED PROCEDURES FOR THE PROTECTION OF CULTURAL RESOURCES: 1982 Cultural resources report for the survey of seven seismic lines located in Yucca Flat. Desert Research Institute, Cultural Resources Reconnaissance, Short Report SR070182-1 through SR070182-7. 1982 Class III cultural resources reconnaissance of a pad and support areas for Drill Hole U9cw. Desert Research institute. Cultural Resources Reconnaissance, Short Report SR092082-1.