Can LaRamie Soils Service help us determine what the environment was like during a sites occupation?
Soil and sediment characteristics are a very useful tool in determining paleoenvironmental conditions. Some soil properties are associated with relatively moist soil forming conditions (e.g., thick humate-rich A horizons). Dry conditions, on the other hand, often result in slower A horizon development but encourage the accumulation of soil carbonates. Some of our soil/sediment investigations in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico have suggested that the environment at the beginning of the Holocene was more similar to the grasslands of north central Texas or central Kansas than the desert scrub that presently exists in the basin (Smith and McFaul, 1997). Sediments can also be useful in this regard. Multiple deposits of silts and clays on a floodplain suggest a relatively stable environment punctuated by occasional overbank flooding. Eolian sediments may represent dry conditions but, in some cases, they may also reflect an increase in sediment supply caused by increased precipitation. This
Related Questions
- We have an archaeology site that does not contain datable materials. Can LaRamie Soils Service help us asses the sites age?
- Can LaRamie Soils Service help us determine what the environment was like during a sites occupation?
- Can LaRamie Soils Service help us determine if the cultural materials at our site are in situ?
