Results of ICP-MS Analysis of Speleothems Recovered from a Semi-Subterranean Feature at Chawal But'o'ob, Belize

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Subterranean in MesoAmerican Sacred Landscapes: A Multidisciplinary Assessment" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

During an investigation conducted in conjunction with the Rio Bravo Archaeological Survey directed by Stanley Walling, a number of fragments of stalactites were recovered from a small, enclosed feature at Chawak But’o’ob, located in the Programme for Belize Conservation and Management Area. The feature, dubbed Cave 1, occupies a space beneath a protruding bedrock shelf that forms its ceiling. The eastern and southern walls consist of large blocks of the shelf that detached but remained leaning against the shelf, creating a dark space behind them. The ceiling was checked for the presence of drip water formations or scars indicating that stalactites had been broken and removed. None were noted and no water was seen entering the cave during or after rains. ICP-MS was performed on several stalactites and a ceiling sample. While the stalactites are clearly local, they did not come from Cave 1. It is proposed that the speleothems were deposited in the cave to buttress its claim to being a real “cave.”

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• The Subterranean in MesoAmerican Sacred Landscapes: A Multidisciplinary Assessment

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 50111