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• the potential subsidence area; to identify and accurately locate archaeological sites and/or <br />districts and isolalcd finds; to evaluate these surface finds fur inclusion on the National <br />Register oFl-listoric Places (NRI iP), to determine the potential effect of the mining activities <br />on all NRHP-eligible resources; and to make rccomrocndations for the mitigation of any <br />adverse effects on those cultural resources. <br />Location of the Prnjecl Arcs <br />Tltc study area is in Gunnison County, Colorado, about 4.5 miles east of the town of <br />Somerset. l~lte project area is an irregular block locatecJ in T. 13 S., R. 90 W., Section I N'/ <br />N'/;and, T. 13 S., R. 89 W., Sections 6 W'/ W! ~ and Section 7 W'/ NW'/., 6th P.M. The <br />10-acre area of intensive inventory is within Section 7 SW'/~ NW'/~ (Figure I). <br />~ffcctivc Cnvironmcnt <br />The study area lies off the southeast corner of Grand Mesa, an 11,000-foot high, flat- <br />topped mountain capped by basalt flows of late Miocene aad early Pliocene age ca. l0 <br />million years old (Young and Young 19GS). Cretaceous-age Nlesaverde Formation <br />sandstones and coal-bearing rocks make up the majority of the geology of the study area. <br />• This mineral attracted the mining industry to the region. <br />The Nonlt Fork of flu Gumtison River is located just south of tl~e study area. <br />Elevations in the study area range from between 6200 and 7940 feet. These and the <br />surrounding higher elevations support four main plant communities: Upper Sonoran and <br />Transitional Zone (oakbrush, serviceberry, pinyon /juniper) on the mountain sides, and <br />riparian woodland and sagebnisl>/gmssland in the narrow valley bottoms. <br />A limitation to the surface inspection was the dense vegetation cover. Overall, the <br />inclines vary between ~ and 38 degrees, but a majority of the study area slopes are over 30 <br />degrees. Vegetation cover is primarily pine-oak community with an increasingly dense <br />cover of oakbnish in the Itiglter elevations. Ground visibility ranges ilont a maximum of 35 <br />percent to less than 10 percent The tegion supports numerous wildlife species. Elk, deer, <br />coyote, black bear, rabbits and raptors are common. <br />Climatically, the yearly average temperature is 51 degrees F., and there is a <br />maximum of 120 Trost-flee days in a year. Annual precipitation is about 12-I S inches <br />(USDA SCS 1976, Cover type 239). Palcocnvironmental data for the area are scant, but it is <br />agreed that gross climatic conditions have remained fairly constant over the last 12,000 <br />years. Still, changes in effective moisture and coolim~ warming trends probably affected the <br />prehistoric occupation of the area <br />• 2 <br />