Geophysical analysis at the Old Whaling site, Cape Krusenstern, Alaska, reveals the possible impact of permafrost loss on archaeological interpretation

Polar research

Christopher B. Wolff¹  Thomas M. Urban² 

[1] Department of AnthropologyState University of New York–Plattsburgh, 101 Broad St., Plattsburgh, NY 12901, USACorrespondence;Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of ArtDyson Perrins Building, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK

关键词: Cape Krusenstern;    Old Whaling culture;    geophysics;    cryoturbation;    archaeology;    Alaska.;   

DOI  :  10.3402/polar.v32i0.19888

学科分类：自然科学（综合）

来源: Co-Action Publishing

【 摘 要 】

The Old Whaling site at Cape Krusenstern, Alaska, has been the subject of contested interpretations stemming from an original theory proposed by J. Louis Giddings more than half a century ago. In an attempt to address recent suggestions that the occupational history is more complex than originally believed, the site was the subject of a non-invasive geophysical survey conducted by our team in 2011. The project served as a starting point for assessing the potential for archaeological remains at the site that had not been detected with previous investigations, and to gain a better understanding of site morphology. The investigation was implemented with two well-established geophysical methods, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and magnetic gradiometry. The survey revealed no unequivocal evidence of additional occupations as has been recently suggested, but did reveal a dynamic site morphology that may have implications for archaeological interpretation.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC