Burnet Cave

NM: Eddy Co. 1403 m or 1435 m ? check.

26 Mar 1995: BLM survey shows as 4970 ft, SE1/4 SW1/4 NW1/4 Sec. 35, T22S, R21E.

General Description.—Jones (year?) gives locality as Sec. 35, T22S, R21E, on S Fork of Rocky Arroyo ca. 1/4 mi above confluence of the three forks of Rocky Arroyo, ca. 25 mi. W Carlsbad.

Kurten and Anderson (1980) give elevation as 1403 m. That several hearths and artifacts found at same level as the fossil fauna. Above this level, remains of a Basket Maker culture.

Schultz and Howard (1935): give elevation as 4600 ft. Entrance ca. 70 ft above floor of canyon and faces east of south. Windblown dust and rock fall filled the cave to within 3 ft of inner roof, making depth of dirt and debris at that point ca. 9 ft. Dimensions of cave roughly 50 ft from entrance to rear wall and 13 ft wide at a point where the talus slope began inside the entrance. Directly under the outer overhang, height ca. 25 ft. A number of burials in upper 2 or 3 ft. Below burial level (Basketmaker), many hearths or lens-shaped deposits of charcoal and ashes at various levels to depth of 8 ft 6 inches. Also in these lower level, bones of 62 kinds of animals which were, in many cases, directly associated with hearths. Some bones had been burned. Directly under a large rock, a hearth with a grooved spear point associated with bones of an extinct bison (Bison antiquus taylori) and an extinct muskox (Preptoceras sinclairi neomexicana).

Age.—RANCHOLABREAN and HOLOCENE. There is a solid ¹⁴C date of 7432 ± 300 (C-823), but questioned by Hester (1967). Fauna shows clearly that late Wisconsinan material present, but also Holocene.

Emslie 1987: (As Rocky Arroyo Cave) Dated condor bone (humerus, USNM 319169), 12,180 ± 130 (AA-1491B).

Comments.—Considered as the same site as Rocky Arroyo Cave of Wetmore (1931) and others. Holocene and Pleistocene material is intermixed. Type locality of Navahoceros fricki, Euceratherium collinum morrisi, and Preptoceras sinclairi neomexicanus, all Schultz and Howard 1935.

Publications.—Brodkorb 1962, 1964, 1971, 1978; (*Emslie 1987); Harris 1985; Hester 1960, 1967; E. B. Howard 1931, 1932, 1935; H. Howard 1962, 1968, 1971, 1974; Howard and Miller 1933; Jones, J. K., Jr. ?; Kurt‚n and Anderson 1980; *Rea 1980; *Rickart 1977; Russell 1968; (*Schultz and Howard 1935); Schultz et al. 1970; Wetmore 1931, 1932.

Fauna.—

• Phrynosoma douglasii Rickart 1977
• Phrynosoma cornutum Rickart 1977
• Cf. Crotaphytus collaris Rickart 1977
• Sceloporus sp. Rickart 1977

• Aechmophorus occidentalis
• Cathartes aura Brodkorb 1964 (as Rocky Arroyo)
• Coragyps atratus or C. occidentalis Howard 1971, 1974; Brodkorb 1964 as C. atratus
• Gymnogyps californianus amplus Howard 1971; Brodkorb 1964 (as Rocky Arroyo)
• Accipiter cooperi Brodkorb 1964 (as Rocky Arroyo)
• Buteo swainsoni Brodkorb 1964 (as Rocky Arroyo)
• Falco mexicanus Brodkorb 1964 (as Rocky Arroyo)
• Falco sparverius not in Brodkorb 1964
• Tympanuchus pallidicinctus Brodkorb 1962 (as Rocky Arroyo)
• Oreortyx picta Brodkorb 1962 (as Rocky Arroyo)
• Meleagris gallopavo (probably Holocene) Brodkorb 1962 (as Rocky Arroyo; not noted as Holocene); Rea 1980
• Meleagris crassipes Rea 1980
• Grus canadensis not in Brodkorb 1964
• Bubo virginianus Brodkorb 1964 (as Rocky Arroyo)
• Asio flammeus Brodkorb 1971 (as archaeological)
• Colaptes auratus Brodkorb 1971 (as Rocky Arroyo)
• Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus Brodkorb 1978
• Loxia curvirostra Brodkorb 1978

• Antilocapra cf. americana
• Arctodus sp. (Kurtén and Anderson 1980 give as Tremarctos floridanus, but don't show it on their map; Hester 1960 and Schultz et al. 1970 as Arctodus
• Bassariscus astutus
• Bison antiquus
• Camelops sp.
• Canis latrans
• C. lupus
• Conepatus cf. mesoleucus
• Cynomys ludovicianus
• Dipodomys ordi
• Equus conversidens (=E. alaskae)
• E. niobrarensis (=E. laurentius)
• E. cf. tau (=E. cf. francisi)
• Euceratherium collinum
• Felis concolor
• Lemmiscus curtatus
• Lepus sp. (reported as Lepus townsendii and Lepus alleni— material is not identifiable to species, however)
• Lynx rufus
• Marmota flaviventris
• Microtus cf. lonqicaudus
• M. mexicanus
• M. pennsylvanicus
• Mustela nigripes
• Navahoceros fricki
• Neotoma cf. cinerea
• N. cf. lepida (suggested by Harris to be N. stephensi; neither, in light of present knowledge, is tenable)
• N. cf. mexicana
• Odocoileus hemionus
• 0. virginianus
• Ovis canadensis
• Cratoqeomys castanops (as "Pappogeomys ? (close to P. bulleri"— untenable by Russell 1968)
• Peromyscus cf. maniculatus
• Sorex sp.
• Spermophilus varieqatus
• Stockoceros onusrosagris
• Sylvilagus ? auduboni
• S. nuttalli
• Taxidea taxus
• Thomomys bottae
• T. umbrinus
• Vulpes velox
• V. vulpes

Last Update: 11 September 1998.