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Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten
Sonderbände
Bernhard Lucke, Rupert Bäumler, Michael Schmidt eds.
Soils and Sediments as Archives of Landscape Change
Geoarchaeology and Landscape Change
in the Subtropics and Tropics
B. Lucke, R. Bäumler, M. Schmidt eds.
Soils, paleosols, and sediments are important archives of environmental change in the
subtropics and tropics, but are not always investigated in geo-archaeological studies. This
partly due to their often complex properties, and partly due to insufficient teaching of soil
science in geography and archaeology. In addition, the genesis of some soils such as the
frequent Red Mediterranean Soils (also known as Terrae Calcis/Terrae Rossae) is still not
fully understood, and the temporal resolution of soils and sediments is often weak. However,
their advantage is a nearly ubiquitous presence. Due to their specific, mostly limited, sensitivity
to environmental changes they might be used as indicators of the crossing of thresholds
testifying to a change of process dynamics. In addition, they record not only natural environmental changes, but also the impacts of human activity. Thus soils, paleosols, and sediments
are among the most promising archives that can be utilized by the growing field of geoarchaeology. However, only few archaeologists working in the subtropics and tropics are
trained in soil science, and a comprehensive volume summarizing methods and the state of
knowledge has not yet been compiled. Therefore many excavations do not employ geoarchaeological studies of soils and sediments. This book aims to facilitate such investigations
by presenting selected methods and case studies regarding environmental reconstruction
based on soils, paleosols, and sediments in the subtropics and tropics. With its broad structure,
this volume shall on the one hand help to improve communication among disciplines by
providing reference examples of methods that could be applied in interdisciplinary projects.
On the other hand, it shall serve as introduction of sufficient detail for interested students and
researchers from other disciplines. Chapters have been organized in a way that might help
planned projects to step-wise consider potentially promising methods. Extensive case studies
in the later part of the book present some examples of what can be achieved by interdisciplinary studies of soils and sediments.
Soils and Sediments as Archives of Landscape Change
HERAUSGEGEBEN
VOM VORSTAND DER
FRÄNKISCHEN
GEOGRAPHISCHEN
GESELLSCHAFT
ISBN 978-3-941665-04-0
FGG
Selbstverlag der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft
Erlangen 2015
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