Geoarcheology in North-Central Texas: A Framework for Archeological Investigation, and Cultural Resource Management in the Fort Worth Highway District

Abstract

This document represents an examination of geoarcheological issues affecting a nine– county area in and around Fort Worth, Texas. The study area includes Tarrant, Wise, Jack, Parker, Palo Pinto, Erath, Hood, Somervell, and Johnson Counties (Figure1–1), which collectively make up the Fort Worth District, a regional administrative entity of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). This study represents the second phase of a district– focused geoarcheological program being implemented at TxDOT. A similar study of the Houston District was published previously (Abbott 2001a), and studies of other districts are planned. The current study is intended to familiarize archeologists, planners, and transportation professionals working in the region with relevant geoarcheological issues, thus serving as a resource for those involved in prospection, assessment, and interpretation of prehistoric archeological sites. Readers of the previous Houston study are warned that the overall organization of the document and some of the text may seem familiar, as a certain degree of self–plagarism was practiced, particularly in the discussion of geomorphic and soil processes in Part II. Although the focus of investigation is on the nine counties making up the Fort Worth District, many of the issues addressed are equally applicable to adjacent areas of north–central Texas.