The Effects of Water Erosion on Archeological Sites at Wupatki National Monument

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The effects of environmental changes can be seen through changes in archaeological site conditions. Over the past four years, archeological sites at Wupatki National Monument have been significantly affected by water erosion. Water erosion, mainly from summer monsoons, is affecting the integrity and condition of these archeological sites. The identification of archeological sites being affected by water erosion can constitute a need for National Park Service Archeologists to implement preventative measures and develop risk mitigation strategies to protect and preserve these archeological sites. WUPA01109, an archeological site consisting of a multi-room structure and four cists, is a prime example of how water erosion can affect an archeological site over time. Over the past 11 years, water has significantly eroded this archeological site causing new features and artifacts to be exposed as well as previously recorded features to be covered by shifting cinders. Mitigation measures were implemented in order to preserve and protect this archeological site.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36254.0