Using foraminifera to distinguish between natural and cultural shell deposits in coastal eastern Australia

Foraminifera are single cell protozoa that are ubiquitous in marine environments. Although the hard casings, or tests, of foraminifera are routinely studied in the earth sciences, they have been little studied by archaeologists, despite their potential to contribute to understandings of coastal site...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of archaeological science 2007-10, Vol.34 (10), p.1584-1593
Main Authors: Rosendahl, Daniel, Ulm, Sean, Weisler, Marshall I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chenier
Environmental studies
Fauna
Foraminifera
Methodology and general studies
Prehistory and protohistory
Shell midden
Site formation processes
Taphonomy
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Summary:Foraminifera are single cell protozoa that are ubiquitous in marine environments. Although the hard casings, or tests, of foraminifera are routinely studied in the earth sciences, they have been little studied by archaeologists, despite their potential to contribute to understandings of coastal site formation processes and 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, Australia, as a case study. Results allow separation of natural and cultural deposits based on foraminiferal density. Natural deposits were found to have >1000 foraminifera per 100 g of sediment, while cultural deposits exhibited
ISSN:0305-4403
1095-9238
DOI:10.1016/j.jas.2006.11.013