Linking Geochemistry and Geology in Interpreting Anthropogenic Sediments at Bridge River, British Columbia

Summary

Previous research utilizing energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectroscopy and isotope ratio mass spectroscopy (IRMS) identified geochemical patterns in Housepit 54 sediments that might be attributable to human occupation. In this study we conduct additional geological analysis of Housepit 54 sediments in order to more fully understand the observed geochemical variation. In addition to grain size analysis, detailed mineralogical analysis of fourteen sediment samples from a single occupation level was conducted using polarized light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (SEM / EDS), and x-ray diffraction (XRD). Our data indicate that the observed geochemical variation in Housepit 54 sediments is the result of the complex interaction of both natural geological and human processes.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• The Housepit 54 Project at Bridge River, British Columbia: Archaeological Perspectives on Demography, Cultural Inheritance, and Household History   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage