Science. 1994 Feb 4;263(5147):660-2. doi: 10.1126/science.263.5147.660.
Excavations at the Mesa site in arctic Alaska provide evidence for a Paleoindian occupation of Beringia, the region adjacent to the Bering Strait. Eleven carbon-14 dates on hearths associated with Paleoindian projectile points place humans at the site between 9,730 and 11,660 radiocarbon years before present (years B.P.). The presence of Paleoindians in Beringia at these times challenges the notion that Paleoindian cultures arose exclusively in mid-continental North America. The age span of Paleoindians at the Mesa site overlaps with dates from two other cultural complexes in interior Alaska. A hiatus in the record of human occupation occurs between 10,300 and 11,000 years B.P. Late Glacial climatic fluctuations may have made northern Alaska temporarily unfavorable for humans and spurred their southward dispersal.
在北极阿拉斯加的梅萨遗址的挖掘为古印第安人在白令海峡附近的白令地区的居住提供了证据。与古印第安人投射点相关的 11 个碳-14 日期将人类在该地点的时间定位在距今 9730 到 11660 年之间。在这些时期，古印第安人在白令地区的存在挑战了古印第安文化仅在中大陆北美洲产生的观点。梅萨遗址古印第安人的年龄范围与阿拉斯加内陆的另外两个文化综合体的日期重叠。人类居住记录在距今 10300 到 11000 年之间出现了中断。末次冰期的气候波动可能使阿拉斯加北部暂时不利于人类居住，并促使他们向南扩散。
