Filed In:
Geomorphological Investigations in Archaeology
Geomorphology is the study of landforms, and, as geomorphologists like to say, all of archaeology takes place in the dirt. Here are some resources that these associated scientists provide for the benefit of archaeologists everywhere.
Sediment Core Analysis in Archaeology
Sediment cores are an extremely useful tool used in conjunction with archaeological studies. Basically, a geologist uses a long narrow metal (generally aluminum) tube to sample the soil deposits in the bottom of a lake or wetland. The soils are removed, dried, and analyzed in a laboratory.
Field Book for Describing Soils
A Field Book for Describing and Sampling Soils by Schoeneberger et al., no longer available as a downloadable file, but can be purchased here in hard copy format from the American Dept of Agriculture Soil Survey.
Geoarchaeology
From Digiter Geoarcheologia, a discussion of the principles, applications and problems of geoarchaeology, and a case study.
Soil Science for Archaeologists
Oh boy, do we need this! An online book by Stewart Reed, Nathan Bailey, and Oghenekome Onokpise.
Soil Texture Hydraulic Properties Calculator
Now this is a site for real dirt geeks! From Keith E. Saxton and Walter Rawls for those who want to know the soil properties of your basic silty clay loams.
Stratigraphy
In archaeology, the study of stratigraphy involves looking at the geological and archaeological layers that make up an archaeological deposit to better understand the processes that created the site.