Bedrock Phase Composition of Kamenny Ambar and Konoplyanka Bronze Age Fortified Settlements and Neplyuevsky Burial Ground (Southern Urals)

Abstract

Among the main archaeological sites of the Late Bronze Age are the fortified settlements of Kamenny Ambar and Konoplyanka and Nepluyevsky burial ground, located in the basin of the Karagaily-Ayat river (Chelyabinsk region, Southern Urals). The studies of cultural heritage objects collected from these sites are impossible without a comprehensive study of the surrounding geological and ecological environment, representing some reference points or background values for comparison. The region under consideration appears to be poorly studied, particularly regarding isotopic and geochemical characteristics of complex interactions between the underlying rocks and soils, groundwater and plants. The present work is devoted to the study of phase composition of rocks characterising the surrounding geological environment in the area of the major Bronze Age archaeological monuments by X-ray diffraction. Using the SiroQuant software, the phase composition of bedrocks characterising the surrounding geological environment in the region of the major Bronze Age archaeological sites of the Southern Urals is was determined.