Pub Date : 2022-12-13DOI: 10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a100422
Thania A. García-Zeferino, A. Daneels, J. Diaz-Ortega, E. Solleiro‐Rebolledo
In this paper, we study the materials used for the construction of earthen structure in the La Joya archaeological site, on the Gulf of Mexico coast, built on top of a paleodune, from the Late Preclassic (400 BC) to the Classic period (AD 100-1000). The first constructions arise around 100 BC, on a paleodune top rising slightly above the surrounding alluvial terraces of the Jamapa river; then it grows into a 15-ha monumental compound. The total construction volume reaches 250,000 m3, all made of earth, surrounded by large artificial water pounds (reservoirs). To understand the kind of components found in the structures and their provenance, we compare the micromorphological features of the materials from the earthen constructions with the sediments and paleosols located in the surrounding areas. Samples were taken from the fills of three first building stages, as well as from a natural soil profile and the natural paleosol horizons found beneath the structures. Micromorphological features found in fills permit to establish the correlation between them and their parent material. The fills from the first stage of construction have fragments of a Btb horizon, mixed with an A horizon, compacted and crushed, in which abundant artifacts are identified. However, these artifacts were not intentionally incorporated to the fills, but had been accumulated on the pre-occupation A horizon as residential and agriculture trash. Particular attention was paid to a gley material occurring in the third building stage, that was believed to come from the sediments accumulated in the original borrow pits transformed into water reservoirs, enclosing the main architectural compound. These reservoir fills share properties of the natural sediments and paleosols but transformed by the waterlogging conditions. In consequence, these materials are interpreted as a case of anthropogenic pedogenesis, where the gley micromorphology indicates waterlogging conditions, but in artificially made reservoirs, as they do not have dark organic sediments that would result of the vegetation typical of a natural pond in a humid tropical environment.
{"title":"Use of sediments and soils (paleosols) in construction fills of La Joya archaeological site, Veracruz, Mexico: micromorphological evidence","authors":"Thania A. García-Zeferino, A. Daneels, J. Diaz-Ortega, E. Solleiro‐Rebolledo","doi":"10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a100422","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a100422","url":null,"abstract":"In this paper, we study the materials used for the construction of earthen structure in the La Joya archaeological site, on the Gulf of Mexico coast, built on top of a paleodune, from the Late Preclassic (400 BC) to the Classic period (AD 100-1000). The first constructions arise around 100 BC, on a paleodune top rising slightly above the surrounding alluvial terraces of the Jamapa river; then it grows into a 15-ha monumental compound. The total construction volume reaches 250,000 m3, all made of earth, surrounded by large artificial water pounds (reservoirs). To understand the kind of components found in the structures and their provenance, we compare the micromorphological features of the materials from the earthen constructions with the sediments and paleosols located in the surrounding areas. Samples were taken from the fills of three first building stages, as well as from a natural soil profile and the natural paleosol horizons found beneath the structures. Micromorphological features found in fills permit to establish the correlation between them and their parent material. The fills from the first stage of construction have fragments of a Btb horizon, mixed with an A horizon, compacted and crushed, in which abundant artifacts are identified. However, these artifacts were not intentionally incorporated to the fills, but had been accumulated on the pre-occupation A horizon as residential and agriculture trash. Particular attention was paid to a gley material occurring in the third building stage, that was believed to come from the sediments accumulated in the original borrow pits transformed into water reservoirs, enclosing the main architectural compound. These reservoir fills share properties of the natural sediments and paleosols but transformed by the waterlogging conditions. In consequence, these materials are interpreted as a case of anthropogenic pedogenesis, where the gley micromorphology indicates waterlogging conditions, but in artificially made reservoirs, as they do not have dark organic sediments that would result of the vegetation typical of a natural pond in a humid tropical environment.","PeriodicalId":48849,"journal":{"name":"Boletin De La Sociedad Geologica Mexicana","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2022-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41421297","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-12-13DOI: 10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3p021122
G. Ibarra-Arzave, E. Solleiro‐Rebolledo, M. Bronnikova
Paleopedology, the study of soils developed on ancient landscapes (Yaalon, 1971), was born in Russia through the efforts of Boris B. Polynov (1927), but considering the previous work done by Vasilli V. Dokuchaev in 1883 (Dokuchaev, 1967) and later with the support of Constantin C. Nikiforoff (1943). The Commission on Paleopedology was established in 1965, in Denver, USA, by Dan Yaalon and Hans van Baren (Retallack, 2013) during the 7th Congress of the International Association for Quaternary Research (INQUA) and later, in 1968, the Commission was affiliated to the International Union of Soil Science (IUSS). After the Denver conference, the Commission published a volume with research papers focused on the recognition and classification of paleosols, methods of dating, and soil stratigraphy (Yaalon, 1971). This volume was the beginning of an extensive series of the Commission publications in different special issues of international and national scientific media. Two of these collections were published in open-access Mexican geological journals: Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas v. 20 no. 3 (2003) and v. 21 no. 1 (2004), and Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana, v. 64 no. 1 and 64 no. 2 (2012). The current issue is a continuation of this series. There are two concepts necessary for understanding paleosols. The first is the use of the uniformitarian principle, which suggests that past geologic processes are similar to those acting today on the Earth’s surface. In other words, the basis of modern soil geography and soil genesis is used as directly analogous to reconstruct ancient environments and landscapes. This approach is more precise when applied to Quaternary paleosols and more limited to pre-Cambrian or Paleozoic paleosols, as the environmental conditions under which they were formed are pretty different from the modern ones (Retallack, 2001). The second concept is “soil memory” (Targulian and Goriachkin, 2004), related to a set of properties that can remember ancient environmental conditions. These properties result from pedogenetic processes and soil-forming factors and are time-resistant to environmental changes remaining stable during extended periods (Targulian and Goriachkin, 2004). In recent years, paleopedology has extended its applications to reconstruct past climates, establish variations in the atmospheric composition, trace the ecosystem evolution, and identify geomorphological changes (e.g., Cerling, 1991; Retallack, 1998, 2009; Goudi, 1990; Klinge et al., 2022). Some efforts have also been made to develop models to quantify pedogenetic trends associated with environmental change (e.g., Yaalon, 1975; Sheldon and Tabor, 2009). An essential application of paleopedology has been devoted to solving archaeological problems, as soils can be considered repositories of human activities: agriculture, forestry, material for construction or ceramic production, dwelling and householding (Holliday, 2009; Costa et al., 2021; Yalçın et
古土壤学是研究在古代景观上发展起来的土壤(Yaalon, 1971)，在Boris B. Polynov(1927)的努力下诞生于俄罗斯，但考虑到Vasilli V. Dokuchaev在1883年(Dokuchaev, 1967)和后来在Constantin C. Nikiforoff(1943)的支持下所做的工作。1965年，Dan Yaalon和Hans van Baren (Retallack, 2013)在第七届国际第四纪研究协会(INQUA)大会期间，在美国丹佛成立了古生物学委员会。1968年，该委员会隶属于国际土壤科学联合会(IUSS)。丹佛会议之后，委员会出版了一卷研究论文，重点是古土壤的识别和分类、年代测定方法和土壤地层学(Yaalon, 1971)。本卷是委员会在国际和国家科学媒体的不同特刊上广泛出版的一系列出版物的开始。其中两组发表在开放获取的墨西哥地质期刊上:《墨西哥科学研究》Geológicas第20期。第3(2003)号和第21号。1(2004年)和Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana, v. 64 no. 1。1和64不。2(2012)。本期杂志是本系列的续篇。理解古土壤有两个必要的概念。第一个是均变说原理的应用，该原理认为过去的地质过程与今天在地球表面发生的地质过程相似。换句话说，现代土壤地理学和土壤成因的基础被用作重建古代环境和景观的直接类比。这种方法应用于第四纪古土壤时更为精确，但更局限于前寒武纪或古生代古土壤，因为它们形成的环境条件与现代的环境条件有很大的不同(Retallack, 2001)。第二个概念是“土壤记忆”(Targulian and Goriachkin, 2004)，与一系列能够记住古代环境条件的属性有关。这些特性是由成土过程和土壤形成因素造成的，对环境变化具有时间抗性，在较长时间内保持稳定(Targulian和Goriachkin, 2004)。近年来，古土壤学在重建过去气候、确定大气成分变化、追踪生态系统演化和识别地貌变化等方面的应用得到了扩展(例如，Cerling, 1991;Retallack, 1998,2009;Goudi, 1990;Klinge et al.， 2022)。还作出了一些努力来发展模式，以量化与环境变化有关的成土趋势(例如，亚阿隆，1975年;Sheldon and Tabor, 2009)。古土壤学的一个基本应用一直致力于解决考古问题，因为土壤可以被认为是人类活动的储存库:农业、林业、建筑或陶瓷生产材料、住宅和家庭(Holliday, 2009;Costa等人，2021;Yalçın et al.， 2021)。过去人类活动的影响一直被记录在土壤记忆中，从第一个狩猎和采集群体到工业社会。然而，人与环境之间的关系(反之亦然)是复杂的，需要应用不同的方法，研究现场和场外的方法(Butzer, 2008)，将考古发掘中直接获得的信息与周围地区的信息相结合。从这个意义上说，古土壤考古调查有了更可靠的解释。2021年6月，美国科学院古古生物学委员会、美国国家科学研究委员会古古生物学工作组和墨西哥国立交通大学地质研究所组织了为期三天的在线会议，并举行了科学会议。会议主题涉及古土壤、人类相互作用的历史和环境之间的联系。这期特刊就是这次会议的结果。这里收录的文章旨在提高我们对古代建筑材料的理解，以及过去人类与环境的相互作用。
{"title":"Paleosols and ancient societies: from early humans to the industrial revolution","authors":"G. Ibarra-Arzave, E. Solleiro‐Rebolledo, M. Bronnikova","doi":"10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3p021122","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3p021122","url":null,"abstract":"Paleopedology, the study of soils developed on ancient landscapes (Yaalon, 1971), was born in Russia through the efforts of Boris B. Polynov (1927), but considering the previous work done by Vasilli V. Dokuchaev in 1883 (Dokuchaev, 1967) and later with the support of Constantin C. Nikiforoff (1943). The Commission on Paleopedology was established in 1965, in Denver, USA, by Dan Yaalon and Hans van Baren (Retallack, 2013) during the 7th Congress of the International Association for Quaternary Research (INQUA) and later, in 1968, the Commission was affiliated to the International Union of Soil Science (IUSS). After the Denver conference, the Commission published a volume with research papers focused on the recognition and classification of paleosols, methods of dating, and soil stratigraphy (Yaalon, 1971). This volume was the beginning of an extensive series of the Commission publications in different special issues of international and national scientific media. Two of these collections were published in open-access Mexican geological journals: Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas v. 20 no. 3 (2003) and v. 21 no. 1 (2004), and Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana, v. 64 no. 1 and 64 no. 2 (2012). The current issue is a continuation of this series. There are two concepts necessary for understanding paleosols. The first is the use of the uniformitarian principle, which suggests that past geologic processes are similar to those acting today on the Earth’s surface. In other words, the basis of modern soil geography and soil genesis is used as directly analogous to reconstruct ancient environments and landscapes. This approach is more precise when applied to Quaternary paleosols and more limited to pre-Cambrian or Paleozoic paleosols, as the environmental conditions under which they were formed are pretty different from the modern ones (Retallack, 2001). The second concept is “soil memory” (Targulian and Goriachkin, 2004), related to a set of properties that can remember ancient environmental conditions. These properties result from pedogenetic processes and soil-forming factors and are time-resistant to environmental changes remaining stable during extended periods (Targulian and Goriachkin, 2004). In recent years, paleopedology has extended its applications to reconstruct past climates, establish variations in the atmospheric composition, trace the ecosystem evolution, and identify geomorphological changes (e.g., Cerling, 1991; Retallack, 1998, 2009; Goudi, 1990; Klinge et al., 2022). Some efforts have also been made to develop models to quantify pedogenetic trends associated with environmental change (e.g., Yaalon, 1975; Sheldon and Tabor, 2009). An essential application of paleopedology has been devoted to solving archaeological problems, as soils can be considered repositories of human activities: agriculture, forestry, material for construction or ceramic production, dwelling and householding (Holliday, 2009; Costa et al., 2021; Yalçın et","PeriodicalId":48849,"journal":{"name":"Boletin De La Sociedad Geologica Mexicana","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2022-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42232940","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-12-13DOI: 10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a100622
P. U. Martínez-Pabello, B. Menéndez Iglesias, Rafael Antonio López Martínez, T. Pi-Puig, J. Solé, Aldo Izaguirre Pompa, S. Sedov
Rock varnish is a thin layer (1-40 microns every 1000 years), dark-reddish in color (30% Mn and Fe oxides, 70% clay minerals), that coats a rock surfaces in the northern Mexican deserts. This accretion has been used as a canvas by ancestral human groups to record different types of motifs (zoomorphic, geometric and anthropomorphic) in the northern Mexican desert (Sonora and Chihuahua). These petroglyphs reflect the cultural and artistic nature of past inhabitants and the varnish preserves them through the millennia. Rock varnish coats a variety of rock types, and this paper explores differences in the chemical composition and interaction of varnish and the underlying rock. We studied varnish from three different sites: Samalayuca (Chihuahua); El Álamo (Sonora); and La Proveedora (Sonora). The analytical techniques of microscopy, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Laser Breakdown Spectra (LIBS), reveals a similar chemical composition (Mn, Fe, Ca and Al mainly) that it does not depend on the lithodiversity or location (Samalayuca -sandstone-, El Álamo -sandstone- and La Proveedora -granite-). We observed differences in the contact between the varnish and the underlying rock. Varnish penetrate into decayed minerals such as plagioclase; thick accumulations can occur on hard minerals such as quartz. Like prior research, we find little important contribution of material from the underlying to its varnish coating and conclude its main component derives mostly from aeolian deposition.
{"title":"Lithodiversity and cultural use of desert varnish in the Northern Desert of Mexico","authors":"P. U. Martínez-Pabello, B. Menéndez Iglesias, Rafael Antonio López Martínez, T. Pi-Puig, J. Solé, Aldo Izaguirre Pompa, S. Sedov","doi":"10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a100622","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a100622","url":null,"abstract":"Rock varnish is a thin layer (1-40 microns every 1000 years), dark-reddish in color (30% Mn and Fe oxides, 70% clay minerals), that coats a rock surfaces in the northern Mexican deserts. This accretion has been used as a canvas by ancestral human groups to record different types of motifs (zoomorphic, geometric and anthropomorphic) in the northern Mexican desert (Sonora and Chihuahua). These petroglyphs reflect the cultural and artistic nature of past inhabitants and the varnish preserves them through the millennia. Rock varnish coats a variety of rock types, and this paper explores differences in the chemical composition and interaction of varnish and the underlying rock. We studied varnish from three different sites: Samalayuca (Chihuahua); El Álamo (Sonora); and La Proveedora (Sonora). The analytical techniques of microscopy, X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Laser Breakdown Spectra (LIBS), reveals a similar chemical composition (Mn, Fe, Ca and Al mainly) that it does not depend on the lithodiversity or location (Samalayuca -sandstone-, El Álamo -sandstone- and La Proveedora -granite-). We observed differences in the contact between the varnish and the underlying rock. Varnish penetrate into decayed minerals such as plagioclase; thick accumulations can occur on hard minerals such as quartz. Like prior research, we find little important contribution of material from the underlying to its varnish coating and conclude its main component derives mostly from aeolian deposition.","PeriodicalId":48849,"journal":{"name":"Boletin De La Sociedad Geologica Mexicana","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2022-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46564744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-12-13DOI: 10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a160722
Javad Anjerdi, M. Jafarzadeh, Adel Najafzadeh, R. Mahari
In this study, a combination of petrographic and major element geochemical methods was employed on sandstones and shales of Upper Devonian Ilanqareh Formation, northwest of Iran, aimed at investigating the tectonic setting and the weathering degree of rocks in the source area. The index of compositional variability (ICV below 1) indicated that the studied quartzarenite and subarkose sandstones were not in the first cycle. Petrographic studies showed the existence of a craton interior provenance for these sandstones and geochemical studies identified recycling of older formations as an important source of these deposits. The chemical index of alteration (CIA values of 78.18 to 90.42 for sandstones and 91.55 to 91.93 for shale samples) indicated that the samples were affected by the high degree of weathering due to the humid climate in the source areas. Geochemical discrimination diagrams revealed that the samples were deposited in a passive margin. According to the paleogeography, this passive margin was the margin of a rift basin in the northwest of Gondwana, and the Ilanqareh deposits were derived from the Arabian-Nubian shield and the recycling of the Lower Palaeozoic sandstones in the region.
{"title":"Provenance of Upper Devonian Ilanqareh Formation (NW Iran), assessed using petrography and major element geochemistry","authors":"Javad Anjerdi, M. Jafarzadeh, Adel Najafzadeh, R. Mahari","doi":"10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a160722","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a160722","url":null,"abstract":"In this study, a combination of petrographic and major element geochemical methods was employed on sandstones and shales of Upper Devonian Ilanqareh Formation, northwest of Iran, aimed at investigating the tectonic setting and the weathering degree of rocks in the source area. The index of compositional variability (ICV below 1) indicated that the studied quartzarenite and subarkose sandstones were not in the first cycle. Petrographic studies showed the existence of a craton interior provenance for these sandstones and geochemical studies identified recycling of older formations as an important source of these deposits. The chemical index of alteration (CIA values of 78.18 to 90.42 for sandstones and 91.55 to 91.93 for shale samples) indicated that the samples were affected by the high degree of weathering due to the humid climate in the source areas. Geochemical discrimination diagrams revealed that the samples were deposited in a passive margin. According to the paleogeography, this passive margin was the margin of a rift basin in the northwest of Gondwana, and the Ilanqareh deposits were derived from the Arabian-Nubian shield and the recycling of the Lower Palaeozoic sandstones in the region.","PeriodicalId":48849,"journal":{"name":"Boletin De La Sociedad Geologica Mexicana","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2022-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46741159","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-12-13DOI: 10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a080422
A. Daneels, M. Mateu, Hugo Fernández, Salvador Piña, H. Cabadas-Báez
This paper presents a micromorphological analysis of a sample series from three Mesoamerican earthen architecture sites. It compares a soil, a sample from a construction fill and a sample of a soil mixture used for mud-brick and facing, resulting from different manufacturing steps. The purpose is to identify the soil features that remain and those that are transformed in the process. This is of interest both to geologists, who encounter anthropically modified soils, and archaeologists interested in understanding the provenance of the raw materials and the manufacturing processes. In contrast to previous research based predominantly on earthen architecture from Europe and the Near East, this study is the first comparative analysis of Mesoamerican sites, where earthen construction developed independently from the Old World, using volcanic soils developed in a range of tropical environments. The results show that similar building techniques existed in different environments, that the non-expansive clays and fine fraction derived from volcanic deposits may have presented advantages for construction, while some features reflect the addition of mineral or vegetal temper to improve the mechanical properties of some soils.
{"title":"Soil modification in the manufacturing process of Mesoamerican earthen architecture","authors":"A. Daneels, M. Mateu, Hugo Fernández, Salvador Piña, H. Cabadas-Báez","doi":"10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a080422","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a080422","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents a micromorphological analysis of a sample series from three Mesoamerican earthen architecture sites. It compares a soil, a sample from a construction fill and a sample of a soil mixture used for mud-brick and facing, resulting from different manufacturing steps. The purpose is to identify the soil features that remain and those that are transformed in the process. This is of interest both to geologists, who encounter anthropically modified soils, and archaeologists interested in understanding the provenance of the raw materials and the manufacturing processes. In contrast to previous research based predominantly on earthen architecture from Europe and the Near East, this study is the first comparative analysis of Mesoamerican sites, where earthen construction developed independently from the Old World, using volcanic soils developed in a range of tropical environments. The results show that similar building techniques existed in different environments, that the non-expansive clays and fine fraction derived from volcanic deposits may have presented advantages for construction, while some features reflect the addition of mineral or vegetal temper to improve the mechanical properties of some soils.","PeriodicalId":48849,"journal":{"name":"Boletin De La Sociedad Geologica Mexicana","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2022-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46607151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-12-13DOI: 10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a080822
M. Bronnikova, Julia O. Karpova, V. Murasheva, A. Kochkina, Dmitry A Stashenkov, I. Arzhantseva, H. Härke
This research compares results of micromorphological case studies conducted on four early medieval archaeological sites with differentiated spatialization of human impacts and a varied craft production located in different background environments: humid climate, subzone of mixed forests, floodplain of the Dnieper River (Gnezdovo site); semi-humid climate, subzone of forest-steppe, Middle Volga region (Muromsky Gorodok and Malaya Ryazan’ sites); arid climate, cold desert of the Aral region, ancient delta-alluvial plain of the Syr-Darya River (Dzhankent site). Micromorphological studies of habitation deposits revealed clear geographical and geochemical regularities in the occurrence of geogenic (soil, sedimentary and post-sedimentary) features. Intrasoil migration and accumulation of clay and coarser silicate material in textural pedofeatures were described in cultural layers of sites located in forest and the forest-steppe zones. An anthropogenic input of phosphates provokes simultaneous migration and illuvial accumulation of phosphates and clay. In the habitation deposits in steppe landscapes with calcareous lithology, the key background soil process is redistribution and intrasoil accumulation of calcium carbonates. In the alluvial desert landscape, major soil processes are accumulation of gypsum and readily soluble salts. All layers are or were affected by at least some seasonal over-moisturizing that resulted in a variety of redoximorphic features depending on their palaeo- and/or contemporary water regime. The high variety of anthropogenic processes and corresponding microfeatures was grouped as follows: (1) input, output, turbation, compaction; (2) neoformation and migration; (3) pyrogenic processes (products); technological processes (products). The set of anthropogenic features records past human impact in the locality. The higher the variety of anthropogenic features and their general abundance is, the more intensive and variable the human impact which had occurred in the past. At the same time, the occurrence of certain anthropogenic features may indicate not only human-related processes of their formation (or input), but also a contemporary soil environment. This environment can be favorable, or, in the opposite, deteriorative for earlier formed anthropogenic features.
{"title":"Micromorphological features of medieval cultural layers formed in different environmental backgrounds","authors":"M. Bronnikova, Julia O. Karpova, V. Murasheva, A. Kochkina, Dmitry A Stashenkov, I. Arzhantseva, H. Härke","doi":"10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a080822","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a080822","url":null,"abstract":"This research compares results of micromorphological case studies conducted on four early medieval archaeological sites with differentiated spatialization of human impacts and a varied craft production located in different background environments: humid climate, subzone of mixed forests, floodplain of the Dnieper River (Gnezdovo site); semi-humid climate, subzone of forest-steppe, Middle Volga region (Muromsky Gorodok and Malaya Ryazan’ sites); arid climate, cold desert of the Aral region, ancient delta-alluvial plain of the Syr-Darya River (Dzhankent site). Micromorphological studies of habitation deposits revealed clear geographical and geochemical regularities in the occurrence of geogenic (soil, sedimentary and post-sedimentary) features. Intrasoil migration and accumulation of clay and coarser silicate material in textural pedofeatures were described in cultural layers of sites located in forest and the forest-steppe zones. An anthropogenic input of phosphates provokes simultaneous migration and illuvial accumulation of phosphates and clay. In the habitation deposits in steppe landscapes with calcareous lithology, the key background soil process is redistribution and intrasoil accumulation of calcium carbonates. In the alluvial desert landscape, major soil processes are accumulation of gypsum and readily soluble salts. All layers are or were affected by at least some seasonal over-moisturizing that resulted in a variety of redoximorphic features depending on their palaeo- and/or contemporary water regime. The high variety of anthropogenic processes and corresponding microfeatures was grouped as follows: (1) input, output, turbation, compaction; (2) neoformation and migration; (3) pyrogenic processes (products); technological processes (products). The set of anthropogenic features records past human impact in the locality. The higher the variety of anthropogenic features and their general abundance is, the more intensive and variable the human impact which had occurred in the past. At the same time, the occurrence of certain anthropogenic features may indicate not only human-related processes of their formation (or input), but also a contemporary soil environment. This environment can be favorable, or, in the opposite, deteriorative for earlier formed anthropogenic features.","PeriodicalId":48849,"journal":{"name":"Boletin De La Sociedad Geologica Mexicana","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2022-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45298089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-12-13DOI: 10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a080622
Lady Santana Quispe, C. French, D. Beresford-Jones, Carlos Enrique Rengifo Chunga
Today the Lower Ica Valley (Peru) exhibits evidence of environmental degradation, strong activity of deposition and erosion processes through modifying agents such as water and wind. All of this is the product of a long process of environmental transformation both during and since pre-Columbian times. Archaeological remains present in this valley evidence a long and important pre-Columbian cultural trajectory. We provide a case study of the geoarchaeology of the Samaca H-8 archaeological site that was founded sometime towards the end of the Middle Horizon (c. AD 900-1000) and consolidated its development during the Late Intermediate period (AD 1000-1400). This work contemplates the analysis of soils and sediments using micromorphology, geochemical-geophysical analyzes and radiocarbon dating. The results reveal that the construction and first occupation of Samaca H-8 (or at least the eastern part of the site), during the transition from the Middle Horizon period to the Late Intermediate Period, was marked by environmental dynamics and drastic landscape change toward more arid conditions. Recurrent deposition of windblown materials took place, perhaps due to a lack of protection offered by riparian dry forest cover. The Samaca H-8 site was established under these environmental conditions around AD 900.
{"title":"Geoarchaeological interpretations of the formation and environment of Samaca H-8, Ica Valley, south coast Peru (c. AD 900–1550)","authors":"Lady Santana Quispe, C. French, D. Beresford-Jones, Carlos Enrique Rengifo Chunga","doi":"10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a080622","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a080622","url":null,"abstract":"Today the Lower Ica Valley (Peru) exhibits evidence of environmental degradation, strong activity of deposition and erosion processes through modifying agents such as water and wind. All of this is the product of a long process of environmental transformation both during and since pre-Columbian times. Archaeological remains present in this valley evidence a long and important pre-Columbian cultural trajectory. We provide a case study of the geoarchaeology of the Samaca H-8 archaeological site that was founded sometime towards the end of the Middle Horizon (c. AD 900-1000) and consolidated its development during the Late Intermediate period (AD 1000-1400). This work contemplates the analysis of soils and sediments using micromorphology, geochemical-geophysical analyzes and radiocarbon dating. The results reveal that the construction and first occupation of Samaca H-8 (or at least the eastern part of the site), during the transition from the Middle Horizon period to the Late Intermediate Period, was marked by environmental dynamics and drastic landscape change toward more arid conditions. Recurrent deposition of windblown materials took place, perhaps due to a lack of protection offered by riparian dry forest cover. The Samaca H-8 site was established under these environmental conditions around AD 900.","PeriodicalId":48849,"journal":{"name":"Boletin De La Sociedad Geologica Mexicana","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2022-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41824891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-12-13DOI: 10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a061022
D. Gavrilov, M. Bronnikova, M. Khabdulina, Alexey Sviridov
The tumuli of the Koy-Gunzhar burial ground (2400-2000 cal years BP) in the North Kazakhstan are monumental earthen mounds, built in honour of the Scythian elite. The tumuli, besides representing the diversity of the building techniques for such earth burial mounds, also provide a unique opportunity to study the direction and character of the paleosol diagenesis for nearly 2400 years. This soil-archaeological study aimed to reveal mound building techniques, the characteristics of materials used for construction, and diagenetic changes of the buried paleosols. The comparative analysis of tumulus embankments and buried soils (their genesis and diagenetic transformations) provided the opportunity to establish the source of the building material and to reconstruct some details of the building technologies. For instance, the Calcic Someric Kastanozem (Arenic, Protosodic), buried by loam-sandy and sandy substrate of the tumulus 3, corresponds to dry steppe conditions and has no considerable signs of diagenetic transformations, whereas the paleosol under the tumulus 1 was affected by strong diagenetic transformation supposedly due to acid drainage from the embankment which originally contained sulfidic material being subjected to oxidation and acidification after the tumulus construction. Diagenesis was manifested in the redistribution of pedogenic carbonates and enrichment in iron, magnesium, manganese, and aluminum compounds in the upper 32 cm of the buried soil. These elements were partially accumulated at the carbonate geochemical barrier (over Bk horizon of the buried soil). This soil was transformed by diagenesis from Kasrtanozem to Mollic Cambic Umbrisol (Epiloamic, Katoarenic). The builders of the tumulus 1 used a loamier substrate to construct the mound, different from the parent material for adjacent soils (loamy sands and sands). The loamier substrate ensured the firmness of the mound construction. The builders employed an uncommon technique to produce a mound with defined properties and used foreign building materials brought from the distance.
{"title":"Soil-archaeological studies of Koy-Gunzhar Scythian tumuli (Kazakhstan): building materials and techniques, diagenetic transformations of buried paleosols","authors":"D. Gavrilov, M. Bronnikova, M. Khabdulina, Alexey Sviridov","doi":"10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a061022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a061022","url":null,"abstract":"The tumuli of the Koy-Gunzhar burial ground (2400-2000 cal years BP) in the North Kazakhstan are monumental earthen mounds, built in honour of the Scythian elite. The tumuli, besides representing the diversity of the building techniques for such earth burial mounds, also provide a unique opportunity to study the direction and character of the paleosol diagenesis for nearly 2400 years. This soil-archaeological study aimed to reveal mound building techniques, the characteristics of materials used for construction, and diagenetic changes of the buried paleosols. The comparative analysis of tumulus embankments and buried soils (their genesis and diagenetic transformations) provided the opportunity to establish the source of the building material and to reconstruct some details of the building technologies. For instance, the Calcic Someric Kastanozem (Arenic, Protosodic), buried by loam-sandy and sandy substrate of the tumulus 3, corresponds to dry steppe conditions and has no considerable signs of diagenetic transformations, whereas the paleosol under the tumulus 1 was affected by strong diagenetic transformation supposedly due to acid drainage from the embankment which originally contained sulfidic material being subjected to oxidation and acidification after the tumulus construction. Diagenesis was manifested in the redistribution of pedogenic carbonates and enrichment in iron, magnesium, manganese, and aluminum compounds in the upper 32 cm of the buried soil. These elements were partially accumulated at the carbonate geochemical barrier (over Bk horizon of the buried soil). This soil was transformed by diagenesis from Kasrtanozem to Mollic Cambic Umbrisol (Epiloamic, Katoarenic). The builders of the tumulus 1 used a loamier substrate to construct the mound, different from the parent material for adjacent soils (loamy sands and sands). The loamier substrate ensured the firmness of the mound construction. The builders employed an uncommon technique to produce a mound with defined properties and used foreign building materials brought from the distance.","PeriodicalId":48849,"journal":{"name":"Boletin De La Sociedad Geologica Mexicana","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2022-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41524032","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study focuses on identifying possible environmental variations and plant availability during the occupation in two archaeological sites: Tequendama and Aguazuque, located in Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia. Those sites represent periods of occupation during the early to middle Holocene that contributes valuable information about hunter-gatherers who occupied this area. Data obtained and recovered archaeological material during excavations shed light on relatively continuous occupations until the late Holocene. The presence of lithic artefacts, human and fauna bone remains offered relevant information to comprehend social dynamics among these human groups; likewise, phytolith and stable isotope analysis on sediments and fauna were carried out to identify environmental variations, and the presence of plant remains in these archaeological contexts. Carbon isotope analysis in sediments indicated the prevalence of plants C3 from the early Holocene. In turn, isotopic relationships in carbon obtained from mammals’ dental enamel found in both sites suggest that those animals consumed such types of plants. Also, isotopic values in oxygen from dental enamel show humid and possibly cold environmental conditions in both locations. Also, phytolith analyses provide evidence on the types of plants available in determined contexts and reconstruct environments, use, and availability. Those three types of analysis were applied to archaeological contexts to determine the presence of plants type C3 or C4 available in the sites, which permitted to evidence of environmental changes, humid conditions, and, in a few cases, drought across occupation, as well as the differences in terms of the presence or absence of certain types of plants during chronological periods, suggesting a possible association of horticultural processes and domestication during middle Holocene in Aguazuque archaeological site.
{"title":"Environmental variation in the early and middle Holocene Tequendama and Aguazuque archaeological sites, Colombia","authors":"Angélica Viviana Triana Vega, Víctor Adrián Pérez Crespo","doi":"10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a140622","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a140622","url":null,"abstract":"This study focuses on identifying possible environmental variations and plant availability during the occupation in two archaeological sites: Tequendama and Aguazuque, located in Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia. Those sites represent periods of occupation during the early to middle Holocene that contributes valuable information about hunter-gatherers who occupied this area. Data obtained and recovered archaeological material during excavations shed light on relatively continuous occupations until the late Holocene. The presence of lithic artefacts, human and fauna bone remains offered relevant information to comprehend social dynamics among these human groups; likewise, phytolith and stable isotope analysis on sediments and fauna were carried out to identify environmental variations, and the presence of plant remains in these archaeological contexts. Carbon isotope analysis in sediments indicated the prevalence of plants C3 from the early Holocene. In turn, isotopic relationships in carbon obtained from mammals’ dental enamel found in both sites suggest that those animals consumed such types of plants. Also, isotopic values in oxygen from dental enamel show humid and possibly cold environmental conditions in both locations. Also, phytolith analyses provide evidence on the types of plants available in determined contexts and reconstruct environments, use, and availability. Those three types of analysis were applied to archaeological contexts to determine the presence of plants type C3 or C4 available in the sites, which permitted to evidence of environmental changes, humid conditions, and, in a few cases, drought across occupation, as well as the differences in terms of the presence or absence of certain types of plants during chronological periods, suggesting a possible association of horticultural processes and domestication during middle Holocene in Aguazuque archaeological site.","PeriodicalId":48849,"journal":{"name":"Boletin De La Sociedad Geologica Mexicana","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2022-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41368444","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2022-12-13DOI: 10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a180622
Antoine Dorison, Christina Siebe Grabach, Michelle Elliott, Grégory Pereira
The methodical exploitation of arable lands in pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica has been recognized since the 16th century, but the Spanish Conquest caused cultivated landscapes to be dramatically modified. Thus, general amazement remains great when remote sensing techniques (RS) like airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) uncover fossilized farmlands. Recent studies demonstrated that agrarian features are widespread among the remains revealed by LiDAR-derived models. Efforts are being made to map these features but few studies have focused directly on the landforms and soils which they modify. Concurrently, while paleopedology has refined the identification of anthropogenic features within soils, spatial approaches correlating soil covers and archaeological sites have received less attention as perspectives often diverge between archaeological mapping, which often focuses on intra-site elements, and soil mapping, which generally encompasses broader areas. Yet, geoscientists have used RS to predict soil parameters and demonstrated that it could increase accuracy in knowledge-based soil maps. Today, while LiDAR-derived data are facilitating archaeological mapping beyond settlement limits, high-resolution RS also offers opportunities for more accurate soil mapping and calls for harmonization of perspectives. We present a method that combines LiDAR-based RS and fieldwork in archaeology and soil science to address pre-Hispanic cultivated landscapes based on a case study in West Mexico. It focuses on the Zacapu area, where long-lasting archaeological and geoecological research offered a solid background. We used LiDAR visualizations, modeling, and satellite images to detect anthropogenic and geopedologic features. The latter was verified through field surveys and test pits. Archaeological material and soil analyses followed. All data were mapped on GIS. As a result, we were able to update and improve significantly both the archaeological and geopedologic maps. The approach further provided an unprecedented reconstruction of landscape appropriation from the 6th to the 15th century AD. It demonstrates that archaeology, geomorphology, and pedology can efficiently complete each other to address more comprehensively pre-Hispanic cultivated landscapes.
{"title":"A LiDAR-based geopedologic approach to address pre-Hispanic agricultural landscapes in Northern Michoacán, West Mexico","authors":"Antoine Dorison, Christina Siebe Grabach, Michelle Elliott, Grégory Pereira","doi":"10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a180622","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.18268/bsgm2022v74n3a180622","url":null,"abstract":"The methodical exploitation of arable lands in pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica has been recognized since the 16th century, but the Spanish Conquest caused cultivated landscapes to be dramatically modified. Thus, general amazement remains great when remote sensing techniques (RS) like airborne laser scanning (LiDAR) uncover fossilized farmlands. Recent studies demonstrated that agrarian features are widespread among the remains revealed by LiDAR-derived models. Efforts are being made to map these features but few studies have focused directly on the landforms and soils which they modify. Concurrently, while paleopedology has refined the identification of anthropogenic features within soils, spatial approaches correlating soil covers and archaeological sites have received less attention as perspectives often diverge between archaeological mapping, which often focuses on intra-site elements, and soil mapping, which generally encompasses broader areas. Yet, geoscientists have used RS to predict soil parameters and demonstrated that it could increase accuracy in knowledge-based soil maps. Today, while LiDAR-derived data are facilitating archaeological mapping beyond settlement limits, high-resolution RS also offers opportunities for more accurate soil mapping and calls for harmonization of perspectives. We present a method that combines LiDAR-based RS and fieldwork in archaeology and soil science to address pre-Hispanic cultivated landscapes based on a case study in West Mexico. It focuses on the Zacapu area, where long-lasting archaeological and geoecological research offered a solid background. We used LiDAR visualizations, modeling, and satellite images to detect anthropogenic and geopedologic features. The latter was verified through field surveys and test pits. Archaeological material and soil analyses followed. All data were mapped on GIS. As a result, we were able to update and improve significantly both the archaeological and geopedologic maps. The approach further provided an unprecedented reconstruction of landscape appropriation from the 6th to the 15th century AD. It demonstrates that archaeology, geomorphology, and pedology can efficiently complete each other to address more comprehensively pre-Hispanic cultivated landscapes.","PeriodicalId":48849,"journal":{"name":"Boletin De La Sociedad Geologica Mexicana","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.8,"publicationDate":"2022-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45256538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：