Applications of Multipsectral Imagery to the Archaeology of Human Origins

Summary

Multispectral imagery is a powerful tool for various disciplines that use landscape scale spatial patterning to understand and identify underlying geochemical variations. Paleontologists have used multispectral imagery in numerous locations; however, it has not been extensively applied in the study of archaeological sites associated with human fossil localities in East Africa. Extensive geological exposures combined with laterally expansive volcanic ashes in the Turkana basin make this an ideal location to apply this technique. Here we present a study using 2-meter resolution multispectral imagery (provided by the GeoEye Foundation) to investigate the location and patterning of archaeological sites in the Okote Member (1.6 -1.39 Ma) of the Koobi Fora Formation in an attempt to identify potential archaeologically productive sediments in the Karari region of the Turkana Basin. Our results indicate the potential of this technique for identifying certain features of the archaeological record but also but highlight the difficulties associated with applying this technique in a geologically heterogeneous environment. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation International Research Experience for Student program (OISE- 1358178 and 1358200).

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16426