Scanning Electron Microscopy and Geoarchaeology of Naihehe Cave, Fiji

Summary

This poster reports on field-work and laboratory investigations conducted on geoarchaeological samples from Naihehe Cave, located in the Sigatoka river valley of Viti Levu, Fiji. This research employs novel and exploratory methods, including Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine the elemental content of sediment samples and for detailed imagery useful in grain size and shape analysis. These analyses have revealed that the sediments consist of several classes ranging from calcium hydroxide crystals, ilmenite, magnesium aluminum silicates, and calcium silicates that represent naturally occurring parent materials found in the Sigatoka River Valley. Other analyses include petrographic microscopy (XPL), phosphate burnoff, organic matter burn-off, carbonate burn-off, and radiocarbon dating. Geoarchaeological analyses such as these are critical to understanding the natural and cultural history of Naihehe Cave, as the site is associated with the first agriculturalists in Fiji, and may reveal new information pertaining to the settlement of the archipelago during the Lapita and Post-Lapita period. Using these methods adds to the conversation on how traces of human activity can be discerned at the smallest of scales, and how sedimentological "ecofacts" can aid in understanding archaeological deposits.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22349