GEOSCIENCE APPROACHES TO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE IDENTIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION ON THE NORTHERN PLAINS: A CYPRESS HILLS CASE STUDY

Recent geoarchaeological investigations in the Cypress Hills of southeastern Alberta have used a variety of geoscience methods to identify and characterize subsurface archaeological sites. Specifically, subsurface testing methods such as augering and coring have revealed that the meltwater channels running around and through the Cypress Hills contain extended sequences of buried soils in which clearly stratified archaeological occupations have been preserved. Furthermore, laboratory methods such as stable isotope analysis and phytolith analysis have demonstrated that these buried soils contain paleoenvironmental information that has enormous potential to enrich our understanding of the ecological contexts surrounding past human occupation of these ancient land surfaces. Given the paucity of well-preserved, clearly stratified, multicomponent archaeological sites in the Northern Plains region, these findings suggest that geoarchaeological studies geared towards identifying and studying meltwater channels and other landforms that favour the preservation of ancient land surfaces represent a promising direction for future research. Moreover, such studies have even greater research potential when coupled with laboratory methods that can derive paleoenvironmental data from such land surfaces, providing valuable information on the ecological circumstances associated with past episodes of human occupation.