Browsing by Author "Dinckal, Ada"
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- Mapping magnetism: geophysical modelling of stratigraphic features by using in situ magnetic susceptibility measurements at Pinnacle Point 5‐6 North, South AfricaPublication . Dinckal, Ada; Fisher, Erich; Herries, Andy I. R.; Marean, Curtis W.This study utilizes geostatistical modelling of magnetic susceptibility (MS) for geophysical prospection of archaeological stratigraphy at the Middle Stone Age rock shelter site of Pinnacle Point 5-6 North. These models are overlaid onto high-resolution photography of the stratigraphic sequence to study the lateral and vertical changes within the magnetic signature of the archaeological sequence and correlate these changes to micromorphological interpretations previously made at the site. In situ analysis is reinforced by laboratory magnetic mineralogical analysis utilizing MS; frequency-dependent susceptibility (chi(FD)); isothermal remanent magnetization; and anhysteric remanent magnetization to understand the composition of the magnetic minerals creating the in situ signature. This study shows that there is consistent variation in the magnetic signatures of the sequence that can be mapped with in situ MS; there is a correlation with laboratory analysis of magnetic mineralogy, which provides insight into changes in human behaviour; and our models correlate well with micromorphological interpretations of the site.
- Reconstructing formation processes at the Canary Islands indigenous site of Belmaco Cave (La Palma, Spain) through a multiproxy geoarchaeological approachPublication . Fernández‐Palacios, Enrique; Jambrina‐Enríquez, Margarita; Mentzer, Susan M.; Rodríguez de Vera, Caterina; Dinckal, Ada; Égüez, Natalia; Herrera‐Herrera, Antonio V.; Navarro Mederos, Juan Francisco; Marrero Salas, Efraín; Miller, Christopher E.; Mallol, CarolinaThe indigenous populations of La Palma (Canary Islands), who arrived on the island from Northwest Africa ca. 2000 years B.P., were predominantly pastoralists. Yet, many aspects of their subsistence economy such as the procurement, management, and use of wild plant resources remain largely unknown. To explore this, we studied the 600-1100-year-old archaeological site of Belmaco Cave, which comprises a stratified sedimentary deposit representative of a fumier. Here, we present a highresolution, multiproxy geoarchaeological study combining soil micromorphology, lipid biomarker analysis, X-ray diffraction, mu-X-ray diffraction, mu-X-ray fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and mu-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, to characterize formation processes and explore plant sources. Recurrent goat/sheep habitation and maintenance activities are represented by interstratified layers of unburned dung, charcoal-rich sediment, and dung ash. Lipid biomarker data show a herd diet mainly composed of herbaceous plants, which is key to understanding the mobility of indigenous shepherds. Our results also revealed an unusual suite of authigenic minerals including hazenite, aragonite, and sylvite, possibly formed through diagenetic processes involving interaction between ash, dung, urine, volcanogenic components, and bacterial activity, coupled with arid and alkaline conditions. Our study shows the potential of a multiproxy approach to a fumier deposit in a volcanogenic sedimentary context.