Lone Mountain Archaeological Services
Geoarchaeology
One of Lone Mountain’s specialties is paleoenvironmental reconstruction, using data on changes in the natural environment to provide a better understanding of archaeological context. The physical and biological processes of the environment govern the formation and survival of archaeological evidence. Studying these processes provides a possibilistic view of the relationship between human behavior and the environment, and a starting point for discussing what happens to human groups when resources are threatened because of changes in the environment.
Specifically, we draw upon the fields of geology, geomorphology, sedimentology, and soil science for direct solutions to archaeological problems. The Lone Mountain geoarchaeological team has years of experience in cultural resources management projects incorporating geoarchaeological analysis and interpretations. Team members have excavated and analyzed hundreds of stratigraphic profiles, and have collected and analyzed numerous sediment and soil samples, including rock samples for lithic identification and source studies. Analysis and interpretive investigations have been conducted on alluvial sequences, glacial, proglacial, marsh and pond, dune, and other aeolian environmental settings within archaeological sites. Using geoarchaeological data, regional models explaining site function, type, and history have been developed on some of the larger projects.
