|
UH
Anthropology Dept. Archaeology Program Labs
Guide Home Page
|
Sediment Coring in
Archaeology This information was prepared by Michael Dega, a doctoral candidate in archaeology at U.H. |
|
Corers are utilized by archaeologists, geologists, botanists, oceanographers, and others to obtain subsurface sediment samples from a variety of environments and archaeological contexts. Archaeologists typically utilize coring systems to obtain sediment samples from areas within and near archaeological sites. In general, coring has been employed for reconstructing the environs surrounding sites, collecting archaeological samples from subsurface deposits, and locating buried archaeological sites and/or surfaces. Coring systems may be implemented to observe subsurface deposits for reconstructing site physiography, to obtain samples of buried strata for radiocarbon, biological, botanical, or chemical analysis, to correlate archaeological occupation with stratigraphic units located beyond the limits of excavations, and to reconstruct the geological history of an area. Coring has also been utilized to delineate the subsurface extent of surficially exposed cultural deposits, to determine the horizontal and vertical extent of other buried cultural deposits, and to relate cultural deposits to Pleistocene and Holocene environments. Traditionally, sediments obtained within core samples undergo sedimentological and palynological analysis. These are used to reconstruct past vegetative regimes and to correlate human and environmental interactions through time. In Hawaii, many samples also undergo diatom analyses, this method presenting another line of evidence for inferring environmental change and modifications to the landscape, whether they be caused by natural, or cultural processes. Coring results may be recorded through the construction of paleotopographic maps (describing the configuration of the pre-occupational surface) and isopach maps (illustrating the thickness of any one stratum or depositional horizon), as well as by other means. University of Hawaii archaeological researchers have successfully utilized the coring system in mainland Southeast Asia and throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Depending upon the nature of sediments at various coring locations, researchers have obtained full cores extending from 1.5 to some 22 meters below the surface. In addition, cores have been obtained from a range of locales, including waterlogged areas, ponded environments, and lakes and oceans. The coring system may be utilized on land or from rafts, as was the case with research within Pearl Harbor, O'ahu.
|