Abstract

A cutbank of the Souris River in the Lauder Sandhills is currently undergoing micro- and macrobotanical analysis in order to help clarify the postglacial vegetation and climatic history of southwestern Manitoba. The early end of this sequence – represented by a section of gyttja with exquisite organic preservation – is the focus of this preliminary analysis. In general, results are suggestive of a pattern of Holocene succession broadly consistent with interpretations for adjacent areas. The evidence of extreme fluctuations in available moisture is given particular attention, and is interpreted according to more general climatic trends seen throughout the early- to mid-Holocene. As well, some attention will be paid to the paleoecology of certain key plant species on the postglacial landscape. These results, in addition to expanding the database of a very poorly studied area, have paleoenviromental implications extending beyond the local area.