Cracking concretions: methods for removing carbonate encrustations from faunal remains

Summary

Calcium carbonate encrustations of faunal materials are a problem that limits analysis of faunal materials from a wide variety of regions and time periods. In many locations they are associated with climates with persistent or increased precipitation. This precipitation percolates through the sediments of the stratigraphic column, mixing with calcium carbonate. This mixture is then gradually deposited throughout the stratigraphic column, encasing archaeological materials in hardened carbonate concretions. These accumulations, which may surpass one centimeter in thickness and completely surround remains, often make identification as well as studying surface features such as cut marks virtually impossible. Using a large Terminal Pleistocene faunal assemblage from the Levantine Epipaleolithic period, this poster reports the results of multiple experiments using a variety of chemical and mechanical techniques to efficiently remove carbonate deposits while avoiding significant osteological degradation.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage