Geoarchaeology: A Tool to Focus CRM Archaeological Testing

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Geoarchaeology Within the Context of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Today (Part One)" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Geoarchaeology is the application of geoscientific knowledge and methods to answering archaeological questions. These questions can range from intersite to intrasite scales across a multitude of landscapes. The application of geoarchaeology within CRM archaeological projects provides an opportunity to target potential archaeological resources within a landscape, thus relying less on systematic testing. This presentation will examine the integration of geophysics with geomorphology from CRM projects to create an understanding of the horizontal and vertical landscape(s) and archaeological features to facilitate the targeting of archaeological excavation to limit ground disturbance while obtaining maximized archaeological data. As the CRM discipline moves forward, the push is being made to limit ground disturbance during the initial stages of archaeological survey. This reduced ground disturbance is becoming preferred by many stakeholders to diminish negative impacts to the in situ archaeological record as part of the preservation ethic.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Geoarchaeology Within the Context of Cultural Resource Management (CRM) Today (Part One)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 50757