Geoarchaeology Within the Context of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Today (Part One)

Part of: Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Geoarchaeology Within the Context of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Today (Part One)" at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Part One: In the United States, professional geoarchaeologists have conducted investigations in Cultural Resource Management (CRM) for more than 40 years. Some work as independent subcontractors, others as part of CRM, environmental, or engineering firms. In recent years, requirements for geoarchaeological analyses and fieldwork (e.g., buried archaeological site sensitive modeling, deep testing) have increased significantly although demands and regulatory standards and practices still vary widely across the country. The trend and momentum continue to accelerate indicating trained geoarchaeologists will continue to be in demand. This session highlights the work of contemporary CRM geoarchaeologists who are actively practicing research and fieldwork. Their papers illustrate the many challenges and archaeological research questions that can be addressed by the integration of the geosciences and archaeology, and the benefits of this integration for any archaeological investigation and successful project management and completion.

Other Keywords
Geoarchaeology • North America • Cultural Resources and Heritage Management

Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-11 of 11)

  • Documents (11)
Documents
  • Formation Processes at Lawson Hills, a Turn-of-the-Century Mining Community in King County, WA (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Ian Buvit.

    This is an abstract from the "Geoarchaeology Within the Context of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Today (Part One)" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. CRM data recovery projects offer important opportunities to address both compliance and research questions. In 2024, a team of WestLand archaeologists excavated a portion of a turn-of-the-century mining town in southwest Washington State, focusing on two of 40 features believed to be houses, and...

  • Geoarchaeological Insights from Relict Gypsum Dunes along Lake Otero’s Paleo-Shorelines, Tularosa Basin, New Mexico (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only David Rachal.

    This is an abstract from the "Geoarchaeology Within the Context of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Today (Part One)" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Relict gypsum dunes on the paleo-shorelines of Lake Otero are valuable archaeological archives. When exposed at the surface, these dunes are altered by pedogenic processes, forming a white, powdery gypcrete with hardened 'skins' known as 'gypsum blisters.' For decades, cultural resource management...

  • Geoarchaeological research within six USACE-managed reservoirs of the Willamette Drainage Basin, Oregon (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Teresa Wriston.

    This is an abstract from the "Geoarchaeology Within the Context of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Today (Part One)" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Although understanding subsurface deposits is complex, it is necessary for agencies tasked with managing cultural resources that are often buried. Seasonal inundation of reservoirs introduces additional depositional, erosional, and transport considerations and logistical challenges. For the U.S....

  • Geoarchaeology of Palaeo-landscapes Can Account for Long-term Records and Avoid Bias of Surface Surveys (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Mike Carson.

    This is an abstract from the "Geoarchaeology Within the Context of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Today (Part One)" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. I will share examples of my work with geoarchaeology and palaeo-landscapes in Pacific Islands areas, showing how our landscapes have changed in chronological order, as a practical framework for ascertaining where to look, how deep to dig, and what to expect of the archaeological record in any given...

  • Geoarchaeology: A Tool to Focus CRM Archaeological Testing (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only William Chadwick.

    This is an abstract from the "Geoarchaeology Within the Context of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Today (Part One)" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Geoarchaeology is the application of geoscientific knowledge and methods to answering archaeological questions. These questions can range from intersite to intrasite scales across a multitude of landscapes. The application of geoarchaeology within CRM archaeological projects provides an opportunity...

  • Geomorphological Approaches in CRM: Enhancing Site Identification and Interdisciplinary Collaboration in along the Missouri River (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Judith Joyce.

    This is an abstract from the "Geoarchaeology Within the Context of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Today (Part One)" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. In the Midwest, the integration of geomorphological methods to characterize relative age, lithostratigraphy and depositional environments is foundational to cultural resource management (CRM) best practices. This is due to the geologic history in the region and the significant movement of soils...

  • How to Tell a Footprint from a Hole in the Ground: Ichnofacies of the Great Salt Lake Desert, Utah, USA (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only D Craig Young.

    This is an abstract from the "Geoarchaeology Within the Context of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Today (Part One)" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The basins of paleolakes in the Desert West preserve an amazing archaeological record. Under certain conditions this archaeological record includes the contemporaneous trackways of humans and animals, these compelling, tactile features connecting people to landscapes across time. The discovery and...

  • Landscape Reuse by Woodland Groups in the White River Valley, Indiana. (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Patrick Trader.

    This is an abstract from the "Geoarchaeology Within the Context of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Today (Part One)" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Geoarchaeological investigations conducted for the Interstate 69 Corridor Project resulted in the development of a model for buried archaeological site potential in the White River Valley of Indiana. The following paper focuses on the identification of buried Woodland archaeological sites. Previous...

  • Methodological Approaches to Landscape Reconstruction and Geoarchaeological Analyses of the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Neil Puckett.

    This is an abstract from the "Geoarchaeology Within the Context of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Today (Part One)" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) is a gradually sloping set of Quaternary sediments generally extending 50 to 100 miles east of the Atlantic coast. With depths of 50 meters or more, low sea-levels after the Last Glacial Maximum allowed the OCS landscape to include rivers, lakes, forests,...

  • Mind the Gaps: Geoarchaeology in New England (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Suanna Crowley.

    This is an abstract from the "Geoarchaeology Within the Context of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Today (Part One)" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. Geoarchaeological methodologies are regularly employed across North America and have been for decades within cultural resource management. However, this specialty is less well known or used within the six states of New England, particularly in landscape settings that would benefit from deep testing...

  • The Role of Advanced Remote Sensing Geoarchaeological Technologies in Archaeological Site Discovery and Preservation (2025)
    DOCUMENT Citation Only Jacob Spuck.

    This is an abstract from the "Geoarchaeology Within the Context of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Today (Part One)" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology. The discovery and preservation of archaeological sites in rapidly changing environments present significant challenges, particularly when these sites are obscured by dense vegetation or other natural and anthropogenic factors. This paper reviews the application of advanced remote sensing...