Browsing by Subject "Geoarchaeology"
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Item Geoarchaeological and archaeobotanical approaches to human-environmental interactions during the Archaic to Preclassic Periods in Northwestern Belize(2015-05) Aebersold, Luisa; Valdez, Fred, Jr., 1953-; Beach, TimothyThis report reviews human-environmental interactions in Northwestern Belize during the transition from Archaic (8000 to 4000 B.P.) to Preclassic periods (4000 B.P. to 2000 B.P.). Specifically, the transition of subsistence strategies from nomadic hunter-gatherer to more sedentary food production, which we still do not fully understand in the tropical lowlands of the Maya region. It is during this pivotal era that early to mid-Holocene humans domesticated a wide variety of plants and animals, establishing a new human niche strategy that dramatically changed environments around the world. This report considers how human niche construction, a theoretical framework that expressly attributes populations with deliberate ecosystem engineering strategies, plays an integral role in the Anthropocene. I present my plans for analyzing sediments and microbotanical remains to contribute to knowledge about paleoenvironment and human-landscape interactions to provide direct evidence for transformative behavior by humans.Item The Late Quaternary landscape history of the Middle Rio Negro Valley, northern Patagonia, Argentina: its impact on preservation of the archaeological record and influence on Late Holocene human settlement patterns(2009-06-02) Luchsinger, Heidi MarieGeoarchaeological investigations were conducted in the Middle R?o Negro Valley in the northern portion of Patagonia, Argentina from 2004-2005. This project worked in conjunction with archaeological investigations in this region conducted by Lic. Luciano Prates (Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina). No previous studies on the detailed reconstruction of the landscape history had been conducted in this valley. In order to place the archaeological record in this landscape context, this project had four main research objectives: 1) to reconstruct the landscape history; 2) to incorporate the known archaeological record into this landscape history; 3) to interpret natural formation processes and evaluate the preservation potential for archaeological sites; and 4) to interpret how landscape history could have influenced settlement patterns. Altogether, six months of fieldwork consisted of field reconnaissance of the landscape and recording of the regional stratigraphy through detailed analysis of sediments and soils, geomorphological features, and archaeological sites. This fieldwork was combined with analysis of aerial photographs, topographical and geological maps, and sedimentological samples, in addition to the incorporation of radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence dating of stratigraphic units. As a result, through landscape reconstruction, it was possible to evaluate the preservation of the archaeological record, its landscape context, and to construct a predictive model for the location of archaeological sites from the Late Pleistocene through Late Holocene. Study of Late Holocene channel avulsion and the formation of pools within abandoned avulsion channels which occurred in one part of the study area suggest that landscape change potentially influenced Late Holocene settlement patterns in the Middle R?o Negro Valley.Item Tracking shoreline change using archaeology: A case study from Copano Bay, Texas(2008-05) Barrera, James E.; Houk, Brett A.This thesis focuses on the erosion of archaeological sites around the shores of Copano Bay. The research data for this project comes from three sites that are on the shore of Copano Bay: 41AS3, 41AS109, and 41RF18. The majority of the data was gathered from site 41RF18 during field work in 2005. A description of methods used in the fieldwork and of the findings is included. Annual rates of erosion and the amount of time these sites have before completely eroding into the bay is determined. The methods used to determine the rates of erosion are discussed and the historical data gathered through archival research is also presented. Finally, preservation efforts for archaeological sites around Copano Bay are proposed.