All the Small Things: The Refinement of Foraminiferal Analysis to Determine Site Formation Processes in Archaeological Sediments

Rosendahl, Daniel (2005). All the Small Things: The Refinement of Foraminiferal Analysis to Determine Site Formation Processes in Archaeological Sediments Bachelor of Social Science (Hons), School of Social Science, The University of Queensland.

Attached Files (Some files may be inaccessible until you login with your UQ eSpace credentials)
Name Description MIMEType Size Downloads
rosendahl_2005.pdf rosendahl_2005.pdf application/pdf 1.45MB 581
Author Rosendahl, Daniel
Thesis Title All the Small Things: The Refinement of Foraminiferal Analysis to Determine Site Formation Processes in Archaeological Sediments
School, Centre or Institute School of Social Science
Institution The University of Queensland
Publication date 2005-11-01
Thesis type Bachelor of Social Science (Hons)
Subjects 430207 Archaeological Science
430200 Archaeology and Prehistory
430000 History and Archaeology
430201 Archaeology of Hunter-Gatherer Societies (incl. Pleistocene Archaeology)
Abstract/Summary Foraminifera are single cell protozoa that are ubiquitous in marine environments. The hard casings, or tests, of foraminifera are routinely studied in the earth sciences, particularly for palaeoenvironmental information. Foraminifera have been little studied by archaeologists, however, despite their potential to contribute to understandings of coastal site formation processes and localised palaeoenvironments. In this study techniques and methods of foraminiferal analysis are developed and applied to the problem of distinguishing between natural and cultural marine shell deposits, using the Mort Creek Site Complex, central Queensland, as a case study. Results allow unambiguous demarcation of the natural and cultural deposits studied based on patterns of foraminiferal density. Natural deposits were found to have more than 1000 foraminifera per 100g of sediment, while cultural deposits exhibited less than 50 foraminifera per 100g of sediment. The range of taxa represented in the foraminiferal assemblage is consistent with a shallow water sub-tropical marine ecosystem, indicating general environmental stability throughout the period of deposit formation. Findings are applied to re-evaluate previous models of site formation at the Mort Creek Site Complex.
Keyword foraminifera
archaeology
taphonomy
site formation processes
Mort Creek Site Complex
Rodds Peninsula

Document type: Thesis
Collection: UQ Theses Collection (non-RHD) - Open Access
 
Citation counts: Google Scholar Search Google Scholar
Access Statistics: 477 Abstract Views, 581 File Downloads  -  Detailed Statistics
Created: Fri, 27 Jan 2006, 10:00:00 EST by Daniel Rosendahl