Experimental Use of 3-D Data to Predict the Risk of Slumping at Monks Mound, Cahokia

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Monks Mound is the largest prehistoric mound north of Mexico, and is arguably the Cahokia World Heritage Site’s most dramatic monument. Major slumps that occurred in 2007 did significant damage to the mound. Repair of the slumped area revealed a complex stratigraphy, multiple features, and evidence for previous prehistoric and historic slumps. Mounds, like earthen levees, are more likely to slump when saturated. Expected changes in climate will likely place Monks Mound at an increased risk of additional slumps in the future. An experimental study is exploring the feasibility of predicting the risk of slumping using 3-D data. Our initial hypothesis is that seasonal variation in soil moisture causes subtle but measurable changes in the mound’s micro-topography. One challenge is that the grass and brush that covers Monks Mound varies in height and density. We compare 3-D data from a Leica P40 terrestrial scanner with aerial LiDAR. The former yields very high density data but records a single return, precluding production of a bare earth model. The aerial LiDAR data is much lower density but its multiple returns allow the effects of vegetation to be removed. This poster reports on methodological issues and initial results.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

Keywords

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 25968