It's a Slippery Slope: The Impacts of Erosion on the Spatial Distribution of Artifacts

Summary

This project looks at the spatial distribution of lithic and ceramic artifacts on slopes in Petrified Forest National Park to examine erosional impacts on distribution. Archaeologists use the spatial distribution of artifacts to identify features and their functions. Therefore, it is important that the affect of erosion moving artifacts out of their primary contexts is understood. It is hypothesized that patterns exist in the way artifacts erode downslope. Transects are put across site slopes and the size and weight of artifacts is measured. Statistical methods are used to look at variation in the size and weight of artifacts moving downslope. The utility of the results would be a measure to evaluate the degree to which a site has eroded. This research is applicable to the greater Southwest because it can be used to distinguish between natural and cultural patterns in the spatial distribution of artifacts to better interpret ideas about human behavior.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Recent Archaeological Research in Petrified Forest National Park

Keywords

Spatial Coverage