Archaeology of Australia’s coastline: The role of geomorphology in the visibility and preservation of archaeological deposits on sandy shores, with a Gippsland case study

Abstract

In Australia as elsewhere in the world, coastal archaeological sites are increasingly threatened by rising seas and changing storm patterns, along with encroaching human activities. Understanding the geomorphological context is key to understanding the positioning of archaeological deposits in or on coastal landforms, their vulnerability to erosion and their resilience and capacity for longer-term management and preservation. Here we review the dynamics of beach-barrier systems to contextualise the potential of archaeological deposits to survive erosional processes, especially those associated with current and anticipated impacts of climate change. In doing so, we outline a practical logic for zoning coastal landforms and processes by their proclivity to either erode or preserve archaeological deposits, to assist in the planning of management agendas. It is the sediment budgets and how they change in relation to variation in sea level that fundamentally determine the potential preservation of archaeological deposits in coastal beach-barrier environments. We advocate close transdisciplinary collaboration between archaeology, geomorphology and site managers (i.e. Traditional Owners and land-and-sea management agencies) to better understand the wider landscape dynamics of coastal archaeological sites and landscapes.