THE GEOLOGIC POTENTIAL FOR CULTURAL DEPOSITS IN THE UPPER NEOSHO RIVER BASIN, EASTERN KANSAS: A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT

A GIS-based geoarchaeological approach was used to develop a predictive model for locating cultural resources in the upper Neosho River basin of the Kansas Flint Hills and Osage Cuestas. Lithostratigraphy and digital Soil Survey data (SSURGO) were used to estimate the relative ages of geomorphic surfaces and their underlying late-Quaternary deposits. Surface-soil morphology was selected as a key indicator for estimating the age of landform sediment assemblages. Specifically, terraces, alluvial fans and colluvial slopes with soils exhibiting argillic horizons were mapped as early and middle Holocene landforms. With one exception, floodplains, channel fills and terraces with surface soils lacking argillic horizons were mapped as late Holocene landforms. A suite of 10 radiocarbon ages was used to test the model. Preliminary results of this study suggest that surface soils are reliable indicators of the relative age of landform sediment assemblages. This is the first step in designing a predictive model for locating surficial and buried cultural resources dating to specific periods in the study area.