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Application of soil chemistry to interpret cultural events at the Calderwood Buffalo Jump (DkPj‐27), Southern Alberta, Canada
Author(s) -
Dormaar J. F.,
Beaudoin A. B.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
geoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1520-6548
pISSN - 0883-6353
DOI - 10.1002/gea.3340060104
Subject(s) - transect , jump , excavation , soil test , soil horizon , phosphate , soil science , geology , phosphorus , archaeology , environmental science , mineralogy , chemistry , geography , soil water , oceanography , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
During excavation at Calderwood Buffalo Jump (DkPj‐27), southern Alberta, two profiles were sampled for soil chemical analysis. Transect samples were subjected to the phosphate ring test. The study objectives were to examine the effects of bison‐jump use on the soil profile, to investigate whether discrete jump‐use episodes could be identified within the soil profile, and to see if the ring test was useful in site delimitation. Comparative off‐site profile samples exhibited the normal Ahk, Bmjk, and Ck sequence of a Rego Black Chernozemic soil. In contrast, samples from the primary excavation unit were enriched in organic matter and phosphorus with lower pH and higher fatty acid content. These data indicate that organic input from jump use has had a substantial impact on soil characteristics and development. A ring chromatography field test for available phosphate indicated higher values in this vicinity, suggesting the utility of this method in rapid and relatively non‐destructive field survey of similar sites. The soil chemical data suggest continuous rather than episodic jump use, contrasting with four specific episodes of jump use over the last 2800 years inferred from archaeological data.