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Use and Analysis of Soils by Archaeologists and Geoscientists

A North American Perspective

  • Chapter
Earth Sciences and Archaeology

Abstract

Archaeologists generally recognize that there is a relationship between cultural deposits and associated soils and landforms. However, their understanding of what a soil is, as well as what soils can reveal about site formation processes, landscape development, and environments of the past varies greatly. Although archaeologists should not be expected to have a complete grasp of pedology, they should be capable of recognizing and interpreting soils in an archaeological context in order to fully comprehend the record of the human past.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, 66045, USA

    Rolfe D. Mandel

  2. Department of Geoscience, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 52242, USA

    E. Arthur Bettis III

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  2. University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

    Vance T. Holliday

  3. University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, USA

    C. Reid Ferring

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Mandel, R.D., Bettis, E.A. (2001). Use and Analysis of Soils by Archaeologists and Geoscientists. In: Goldberg, P., Holliday, V.T., Ferring, C.R. (eds) Earth Sciences and Archaeology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1183-0_7

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