Vertical View: Archaeology in Profile

Archaeologists seek to understand both the horizontal and vertical layouts of sites and wider regions as they carry out their research. MVAC Research Intern Cindy Kocik focuses on the vertical view in this discussion of how archaeologists study soil profiles and stratigraphy, or the layers of material we find at a site, to interpret past human activity. Whether tracking a single event, like the creation of a small garbage pit, or multiple episodes of deposition and wash-in of surrounding soil, looking at profiles is highly informative. Studying how humans impacted the land and altered the natural soil formation processes helps archaeologists understand what happened over time at an archaeological site and why.
Links to useful MVAC webpages:
-Disturbance, with links to pages on bioturbation and rodent runs: www.uwlax.edu/...
-Munsell - Video: www.uwlax.edu/...
-Profile Map: www.uwlax.edu/...
-Stratigraphy: www.uwlax.edu/...
Sand Lake Archaeological District - MVAC Video on UA-cam in which Dr. Connie Arzigian highlights the multiyear project at this important group of Indigenous archaeological sites near La Crosse, including examples of ridged fields in profile: • Sand Lake Archaeologic...
US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Web Soil Survey - find information on soils and the soil types present across the United States: websoilsurvey....
Reference
-Stevenson, Katherine P., Wendy K. Holtz-Leith, Constance Arzigian, and Lindsay Lentz
2021 Report on Archaeological Data Recovery for the Reconstruction of STH 35 (2nd Avenue) within the City of Onalaska, La Crosse County, Wisconsin (WisDOT Project ID #7190-05-00/71). Reports of Investigations No. 1190. Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center,
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Artifact Identification
Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse works mainly in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa and can provide information related to that region. If you would like information on artifacts, email a description of the item and where it was found, and attach a picture of the artifact with a scale to show its size. For more information visit MVAC’s website at: www.uwlax.edu/....
For information on other regions, we suggest contacting the appropriate state archaeologist from the following list: sites.google.c....

[@sandranojiri5579]

Very informative! Thank you!