Archaeological Site Distribution in Relation to Soils and Geomorphic Characteristics in Dune Landscapes in Northeastern Arizona

Summary

The Petrified Forest National Park in northeastern Arizona contains abundant archaeology sites located in dune settings. Archaeological research in the area has shown apparent correlation between archaeological site locations and dune geomorphology, suggesting that prehistoric inhabitants frequently targeted dunes for habitation sites. It has been proposed that this relationship may be due to extensive use of dune soils for agriculture. This paper investigates soils and geomorphology of dune environments in Petrified Forest to characterize the relationship between archaeological site location and landscape characteristics such as soil type, landform position, and microenvironmental properties within dunes. This research will contribute to a better understanding of how prehistoric inhabitants used the dune landscape, and specifically what landscape characteristics may have contributed to making dune soils available for farming. In addition, the spatial relationship between archaeological site location and geomorphic patterns is explored to better understand site formation processes, site distribution, and site visibility in eolian settings in Petrified Forest National Park.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Student Contributions in Geoarchaeology

Keywords

Spatial Coverage