Human Transformations of the Earth

Charles French is Professor Emeritus of Geoarchaeology and Director of the McBurney Laboratory for Geoarchaeology in the Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge. He specialises in the analysis and interpretation of buried landscapes using geomorphological and micromorphological techniques, and has been involved in many landscape projects around the world.

• PrefaceAcknowledgements1. Introduction: Geoarchaeological approaches in archaeology1.1 Endeavour1.2 Development of the discipline of geoarchaeology as part of archaeological investigations1.3 Importance to archaeology2. Methodological approaches2.1 Approaches in the field2.1.1 Landscape to soil-scape2.1.2 Soils and palaeosols2.1.3 Formulating research designs2.2 Basic characterisation techniques2.2.1 Field prospection and soil/sediment profile description2.2.2 pH and water quality2.2.3 Loss-on ignition2.2.4 Magnetic susceptibility2.3 More involved techniques2.3.1 Phosphorus (or phosphate) content2.3.2 Multi-element analysis2.3.3 Soil nutrient and fertility status2.3.4 Micromorphology2.3.5FTIR, XRF, EDAX, XRD and SEM2.4 Establishing chronologies: Radiocarbon, OSL and Bayesian statistics2.5 Scales of resolution2.6 Soil nomenclature and classification3. Soil transformation trajectories in temperate European landscapes3.1 The beginnings to woodland soil development3.2 Disturbance and degradation of woodland soils3.3 Agricultural soil development3.4 Woodland to pasture soils3.5 Acidification and podzolisation3.6 Erosion and colluviation3.7 Alluviation, floodplains and waterlogging3.8 Wetland soils3.9 Cumulative soils4. Soil transformation trajectories in southern Mediterranean landscape systems4.1 Brown to red Mediterranean soils4.2 Xeric calcitic soils and soil erosion4.3 Erosion, alluviation and wadi development5. Soil transformation trajectories in arid/semi-arid soil systems5.1 Aridisols5.2 Colluvial/alluvial systems5.2.1 The Burj-Masadpur area of the Indus valley, northern India5.2.2 The central Rio Puerco, New Mexico5.2.3 The lower Ica valley, southern Peru5.2.4 The Kerio-Embobut valleys in Marakwet, north-central Kenya5.3 Terracing and irrigation5.3.1 Aksum, northern Ethiopia5.3.2 Konso, southern Ethiopia,5.3.3 Engaruka, northern Tanzania5.3.4 Sangayaico in the upper Ica valley, southern Peru6. Timescales and longevity of soil processes6.1 Timescales and longevity of soil properties6.2 Soil horizonation and structural development6.3 Within-soil illuviation and textural changes: stability, disturbance and erosion7. Understanding long-term resilience in transformed soilsBibliographyAppendices1. Site gazeteer

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